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inVisible - Dominion Energy Crystal Substation
inVisible - Dominion Energy Crystal Substation
“inVisible” - Atelier Manferdini proposal for Dominion Energy consists of two stacked expansive, frontal, bleeding fields—fusing form and colors, that divide horizontally the façade. The lower half represents a vibrant electric field, rendered in colorful ceramic tiles; the upper half represents a folded sky, carried out in monochrome metal panels. In between a single horizontal division of the facade that calls up associations with an unreachable horizon.
“inVisible” transports the audience into a contemplative state and creates an unexpected personal experience along a public street, where people would otherwise be distractedly passing by.
Project Details
Project Details
Design Sector: Architecture
Typology: Infrastructure
Scope/Role: Architectural Designer
Location: Arlington, Virginia, United States
Year: 2023
Status: Completed
Team: Atelier Manferdini
KumaranParthiban_Dominion_Video.mp4“inVisible” visualizes electric power and asks the audience to bring into question the relationship to this invisible, yet fundamental technology. The artwork promotes a heightened awareness of the process and tools used in the creation and distribution of energy power. The scalar relationships between the various tiles (2” 4” 6”) is in reference to the programmatic function of a substation, a facility that transforms voltage from high to low and vice versa. Among the 10 colors selected for the ceramic piece, the stark blue of Dominion Energy flickers in and out of sight.
The esthetic of the piece is obtained through a processing script that induce a glitch in the visualization of a digital image.
The esthetic of the piece is obtained through a processing script that induce a glitch in the visualization of a digital image.
Glitch can be described as a view “behind the scene”, a peak into the invisible apparatus of electric power and data that governs our world but we can never perceive. At traffic scale - a mesmerizing monochrome-field of immense scale embraces the audience in an immersive and introspective view towards the sky. The abstract surface folds and reveals what hides behind. The sky, often a repository for human hopes, faith and progress, folds back and reveals to the viewers our shared human condition.
Kumaran Parthiban
Speculative Architect/Educator in Los Angeles
I’m a visionary architect and educator, navigating the digital frontier, shaping tomorrow’s aesthetics through digital technology and embracing Gen Z zeitgeist!
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