Tattoo’s conjure up a darker, more sinister opinion upon the culture it stems from, but with today’s growing urban culture, the acceptance for us as societal persons to leave our mark is steadily expanding. In this world we seek to customize and alter all that we can to ensure history beneath our feet is entirely idealistic of the modernized world we live in, even now. Yet our footprints tend to leave behind a trail that can easily be followed, though our perceptions tend not to be as straight forward as people may imagine, as we tend to constantly obscure the world.
Courtesy of Koho Lin & Joseph Ramiro
Designers Koho Lin and Joseph Ramiro have taken one such example of fortitude and art, an elaborate but bold maneuver to experiment with the idea of ambiguity in architecture. Inspired by the art of tattooing, their intricate dynamic of visual morphology invites the viewer into a world of form and influence elaborately wrapped up in an expertly crafted 3-D concept civic building. Through positive, rather than negative contrast, the black and white monotony of traditional architecture is blown away by this well thought out verse. By adding the contrasting shading and graphic painting to the distinct formal gestures of the structure the illusion of depth and flatness is produced, confusing the mind into misreading the architecture.
Courtesy of Koho Lin & Joseph Ramiro
This camouflage adds intricacy to the design as well as distorting the relationship between the central vortex and the rest of the massing. The vortex is suggestive of the main organizing element within the structure, becoming a garden space removed from the street, however from different angles and vantage points this gesture is enhanced or eliminated. From what can be understood about this project, it leans more towards architectural aesthetics rather than programmatic and worldly implications. The strong emphasis on the exterior distortion of the building does little to help explain the interior functionality, but none the less the effect is mesmerizing and it would be interesting to see how this idea can be customized and grow into something more profound.
Courtesy of Koho Lin & Joseph Ramiro
