ATMOSPHERIC EMBRACE

GRADUATE STUDIO
PROFESSOR ■ DIANA AGREST

INDIVIDUAL WORK
SPRING 2023

This project looks at the body in nature - specifically rock climbing. While embarking on big wall climbs, climbers enter a liminal space where they are exposed to magnified natural forces like storms, wind, rain, fog, etc., through uncertain weather patterns, diminishing levels of oxygen, and the conscious or unconscious psychological effects of being in a high-risk situation. With a minimum amount of gear, the body navigates vertical space through systems of tension. Ropes and harnesses are clipped to points anchored in the rock, while the climber’s body operates by pulling on the skeleton through the tendons. Specific elements of gear, like climbing shoes, augment the body’s geometry to allow for more precise interactions with the rock. On rock walls which cannot be achieved in a single day, climbers make overnight sleeping stops using portable shelter that hangs from the rock surface. The outcome of this research is a proposal for a lightweight, inflatable shelter for these expeditions. 3D-printed ribs provide the formwork for a structure of air that hangs from a single point; a sublime room above the clouds.