Benjamin Dillenburger

Architecture should surprise, excite, and irritate. Phenomena is an experimental folly that addresses not only the mind, but all the senses – viscerally. As both an intellectual and a phenomenological endeavor, Phenomena should be judged by the experiences it generates. Phenomena evokes curiosity and encourages visitors to interact with it: to touch it, dive into it, get lost in it, and ultimately to become part of it.

Phenomena defies classification and elicits individual interpretations. It is at once a performance space, an ornate fountain and a highly articulated projection screen.

During the day, its reactive surface engages with the greater courtyard and street by projecting sound, reflecting light, casting shadows and spraying water and mist. At night it transforms into an oversized 3D display for video-projection artists. Up-close, Phenomena stimulates visitors with its complex curvatures and extreme resolution: millions of differentiated facets unfold in space, creating an architecture of a thousand unique perspectives.

Phenomena pushes the boundaries of digital design and fabrication to its limits, forecasting an exuberant architecture in which the exceptional supersedes the standard. As both stage and event, Phenomena invites people to celebrate a summer full of joy and wonder.

Phenomena is a finalist for the MoMA PS1 YAP 2015 competition.