Exhibition Opening at Olana, ‘In Frederic Church’s Ombra’, May 12

“In Frederic Church’s Ombra: Design in Conversation with Nature” showcases multimedia design concepts and installations, developed by leading architects and select artists. As Guest Curator, Barry Bergdoll (of Columbia University and the Museum of Modern Art) invited a group of today’s most exploratory architects to respond to the transitional outdoor rooms at Olana that are so essential to the original 19th century design of Olana’s Main House. These architects were asked to examine assumptions about the relationship of architecture and landscape at Olana, as well as to explore the Main House’s transition to the surrounding natural environment, particularly in our time of climactic and environmental change. The resulting exhibition combines hand-drawn sketches, painted renderings, three-dimensional models, and video and computer animations.