In JAV101: How to Design Almost Anything, an undergraduate studio, each student designs a pavilion to house the works of a specific artist. Their design take into account site and program, with the aim of creating a beautiful structure that can enliven a community.

Irene Song

Irene writes: "This pavilion is designed to exhibit Brian Jungen's artworks. The location is Edible Park, a family-friendly park in an urban area in Malaysia. First, I emphasized the "before and after" of entering the pavilion: entering with a small entrance and exiting with a gigantic exit symbolizes growth and the process of learning. I also designed this pavilion to be eco-friendly (no lights or AC supplies needed), as Jungen always emphasizes in his artworks. Lastly, I thought the connection between the artist's creativity and viewers' inspiration matters in viewing an artwork, therefore I made steps and ceilings to vary in depth, which creates a more dramatic experience for the viewers."

(Instructor: Luke Duross)

Jay Chan

Jay writes: "The original intention behind the design of this pavilion was to complement the sculptural work of artist Antony Gormley. I personally felt that the best design to achieve this goal was a form that reflected ideas of both nature and organic life — which, I felt, harmonized best with his humanoid sculptural forms. This ultimately came down to a design that was both sculptural and dynamic in form, with an emphasis on natural lighting."

(Instructor: Nuria Montblanch)

Satyam Mistry

Satyam writes: "This pavilion is an attempt to architecturally represent the concepts of Rachel Whiteread's sculpture practice. Whiteread explores 'unseen spaces' by casting the space underneath, around, or above objects in concrete and marble. The pavilion houses Whiteread's work Untitled (Stairs) (2001), which features a set of cast staircases. My pavilion expands on the site's contours and topography to create a stairway in itself. where visitors can experience the landscape. Don Valley Brick Works Park was my chosen site, because it has a history of casting and offers a diverse topography to place my pavilion. The pavilion aims to create a hallway to lead the viewer through the artwork, as well as in and around the landscape, allowing the act of meandering and movement of bodies through a space unseen or experienced, much like Whiteread's work."

(Instructor: Alex Josephson)

Dabin Lee

Dabin writes: "Inspired by Kaws’s large-scale figurines, the figurine, in and of itself, will become an exhibition site. By walking through a hollow figurine, one can physically immerse themselves in a trail where various activities will be held. The fragmentation of Kaws’s signature model into the head, torso, and feet, will engage the visitors with his witty and playful manner."

"Rather than putting an emphasis on the functional and practical uses of the structure itself, the exhibition is designed and arranged with the intention of directly engaging the visitors with the figure and encouraging them to post their experiences on social media. With the absence of supervisors guarding the display, passersby are free to casually explore the set at their leisure. As each element/fragment of the divided body incorporates unique activities within, visitors can experience Kaws’s idea of ‘PASSING THROUGH, GONE, and TOGETHER,’ which is thematically represented by the feet, head, and torso, respectively. The graffiti tunnel, Do It Yourself (DIY) centre, and Clubhouse hope to prompt visitors to stop 'thinking of all the tension in the world, and… make people think about relaxing.'"

(Instructor: Thom Garcia)

Veronica Chankov

Veronica writes: "Situated in Toronto’s Grange Park, this pavilion was created to house a selection of photographs and a sculpture by the artist Jung Lee. Throughout her work, the artist juxtaposes neon sculptures of words, phrases, and cliches with striking and often barren landscapes. The pavilion is designed to enhance the viewing experience of the work by placing the photographs in separate boxes, allowing each to be appreciated in isolation. Its flowing form is meant to guide the viewer through the space. The location was chosen not only for its lively urban and artistic setting near the Art Gallery of Ontario, but also because of the many quotations inscribed in the paving stones of the park’s promenade that, like the artist’s work, encourage contemplation. The rust-like material of the pavilion was chosen to parallel the sense of abandoned beauty in the photographs. Inside, the pavilion is dark, allowing for reflection and drawing attention to the glowing neon of the sculpture in the centre."

(Instructor: Jay Pooley)

Yi Sheng

Yi writes: "The Pavillion is designed to house two of Nazgol Ansarinia's artworks: Membrane (2014) and the Pillars series (2014-15). Ansarinia is an Iranian artist based in Tehran, Iran. Most of her works are inspired by the transformations of urban life and the fast-changing landscape of her hometown. Since the artworks are mainly associated with demolition, preservation, and memories, I wanted to design a catacomb memorial for the collective memories. The site I chose is Breadalbane Park, located in downtown Toronto. It is actually a lawn, but it is considered a park in the downtown area with limited green space. The city itself is also a fast-developing place with a lot of demolition and construction going on. The pavilion has an underground gallery space; visitors would enter and go down the elongated staircase into the large space to access the fleeting physicality of the architectural trace as the city develops."

(Instructor: Jay Pooley)

May Sato Bouziri

May writes: "The pavilion houses artist Isamu Noguchi’s Akari paper lanterns and two stone sculptures. It is located on the Baldwin Steps. Stairs are a liminal space connecting two worlds, a parallel to Noguchi’s synthesis between traditional Japanese and Western modernist form, and organic and geometric form. The lightweight structure seems to be floating. It wants to disappear to bring in the outdoor surroundings as the main player defining the experience of the artworks’ contrasting masses and materiality. They are transformed with changes in weather and time, the envelope letting in sunlight during the day and at night becoming a giant Akari lantern itself."

(Instructor: Katy Chey)

Alisha Kwan

Alisha writes: "This pavilion is designed to house Takahiro Iwasaki's art series Out of Disorder (2006-2014). Iwasaki is most known for creating detailed miniature sculptures using everyday items such as the bristles of toothbrushes or the thread in book bindings. What drew me to Iwaksaki's work was the way he sees the world, as well as how he uses space to create that perspective. This pavilion intends to reflect Iwasaki's ideas while exhibiting his work in a way that allows viewers to experience it from different perspectives. Sited at The Finch hydro corridor in Toronto, the interior of the pavilion sits underground, inspired by how Iwasaki gives meaning to mundane objects/spaces, and by his interest in how our bodies are implicated in a larger system. To emphasize the importance of perspective, this pavilion features a slanted window that follows the ramp at the entrance. The artwork is placed throughout the pavilion at varying heights ranging from ground level to above eye level."

(Instructor: Marcin Kedzior)

Xianni Zhou

Xianni writes: "This pavilion is intended to exhibit Cassils' live performance, Inextinguishable Fire. They borrowed a fire stunt team from a Hollywood production to have a 14-second full-body burn. They then extended it to 14 minutes of slow-motion video and projected it onto a wall. I followed their concept of 'illustrating the risks to those who step outside established norms of gender and sexuality.' The shape of this pavilion came from the glass ball decorations in Cassils' projection room, representing the blisters caused by the burn. With minimal supports, I intended to express that, compared to the pain and injustice suffered by the LGBTQ community, there is still inadequate care. More people need to join and support to reach real equality."

(Instructor: Jay Pooley)

Nara Wrigglesworth

Nara writes: "This project draws on the work of Barbara Kruger, protest culture, homeless encampments, and the thinking of Ray Oldenburg to reimagine a community space where work, play, and political action can exist simultaneously. Responding directly to Toronto's homeless encampments, the group of pavilions uses banners from Kruger's 2017 project The Drop to create tent-like structures that occupy the front courtyard of 1 Bedford Road in Toronto (Mayor John Tory's front steps). The project aims to begin a revisioning of what housing a community might look like in a city with a quickly growing wealth divide."

(Instructor: Marcin Kedizor)

Darya Mishchenko

Darya writes: "The 'Glass Symphony' pavilion was designed to showcase Leif Inge's 9 Beet Stretch artwork, which digitally stretches Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to a length of 24 hours. In this architectural project, the arches of the structure represent an extended audio track, closing in a circle. Glass Symphony gives everyone an opportunity to isolate themselves from the hustle and bustle of a big city, instead plunging into a trance, reuniting with nature."

(Instructor: Jay Pooley)

Ariel Clipperton

Ariel writes: "This pavilion is built to house the artwork Razan (2012), by Druze artist Fatma Shanan. Her work aims to deconstruct the definitions of identity and expression. She explores fluidity in her pieces by painting objects outside of their original contexts. The purpose of my pavilion is to adapt this aspect of unconventionality by blurring the lines between interior and exterior space. This is achieved with a reflective surface that creates the illusion that the building blends into its surroundings. The inside of the pavilion is filled with sand and openings to the exterior, so there is no real separation between indoors and outdoors."

(Instructor: Avi Odenheimer)

Rayah Flash

Rayah writes: "Stan Douglas’s work showcases both the performances and behind the scenes of musicians playing jazz, gospel, etc. I took inspiration from historically Black southern churches in America, which had an impact on these genres. Through research on this topic, I created an abstract interpretation of these forms."

(Instructor: Chloe Town)

Salma Essam Ragheb

Salma writes: "This pavilion exhibits Marco Evaristti's Helena. When Evaristti was describing his piece, he said we fall into one of three categories: the sadist who presses the button to liquefy the fish, the voyeur who enjoys watching this violence, and the moralist who feels morally superior for not engaging with Helena. My pavilion tries to spatially separate all three types of people by borrowing from both Boticelli's Inferno and the Roman amphitheatre. The outermost strip that is level with the ground is where the moralists stand. They are not in Inferno at all. Then, there are nine rings of Inferno. All the steps are reserved for the voyeurs who can sit and watch the fish getting liquefied. This parallels the amphitheatre, where the Romans sat on steps to watch gladiator games. Here, the arena, or the pit of Inferno, is where the sadists stand and where the violence takes place."

(Instructor: Avi Odenheimer)

Candace Wong

Candace writes: "This pavilion is designed to house the artworks of Takashi Murakami, a Japanese animator and sculptor. The original intention was to emphasize the uses of pattern, colour, and form evident within the artist’s work by creating a series of mirrored corridors and rooms that infinitely reflect Murakami’s unique visual repertoire of flowers, eyeballs, and cartoon characters. Using the form of a subway as a metaphor for collapsing socioeconomic boundaries, the design of the pavilion reflects the artist’s cultural background along with his concept of 'Superflat,' which describes a coming together of visual planes while disestablishing the high and low spectrums of art production and dissemination. Serving as a fun and upbeat meeting place where communities can gather to interact with the art and with one another, the project encourages new forms of viewership and explorations of interior spaces."

(Instructor: Avi Odenheimer)

Sichen Liu

Sichen writes: "I chose High Park in Toronto as the location for my pavilion, The Wave. The general idea of my pavilion is to appeal to people to integrate themselves into nature and protect our environment. For my rendering images and concept diagrams, I used some warm light sources to strengthen the relationship between the architectural spaces, because the light makes the spaces look more ample. I also added some activities and characters in the scene, and I used their body language to express different emotions related to my design. The wood columns promote the flow of air and form beautiful light and shadow effects."

(Instructor: Jay Pooley)