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2022 Virga

September 15, 2022
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12 Workshop Exhibition Atelier La Juntana Lr 398

Virga explores the intersection of steam bending and digital fabrication to produce a lighting installation inspired by clouds

Faculty and students from VCUarts Qatar, working in collaboration with Atelier La Juntana, designed and fabricated a collection of glowing sculptural forms made from steam-bent wood, 3D-printed connectors, LED lights and tailored fabric. Designed for disassembly and portability, the collection will be exhibited next in the VCUarts Qatar Gallery in Doha, suspended from motorized pulleys and equipped with laser range finders to create an interactive, kinetic installation, subtly shifting and rearranging—rising and falling, dimming and growing brighter in response to the passage of time and the presence and movement of gallery visitors. Inspired by virga cloud formations—clouds found in hot climates, characterized by trailing streaks of rain that evaporate before reaching the ground—the project invites free association, fosters reverie, and inspires imaginative speculation.

Each cloud form was designed by a separate student or faculty member from the VCUarts Qatar MFA in Design program, in preparation for the 8-day wood-bending workshop at Atelier La Juntana, a teaching and fabrication facility on the north coast of Spain.

During the workshop, thin, paired strips of wood, cut from locally sourced ash trees, were trimmed to size, sanded, soaked overnight in water, heated for several hours in a steam chamber, and then bent into digitally-fabricated molds. When assembled, the bent-wood curves create a family of related but distinct forms, each lit by a custom-fabricated LED light source, made-to-order by UK lighting and signage firm Applelec. Each individually tailored fabric diffuser obscures the light source and scatters the light, resulting in the collection of softly glowing cloud forms. 

2022 MFA On-the-Go Field Study Coordinator: Rab McClure

Workshop Host & Material Research: Atelier La Juntana

  • Daniel Gutiérrez Adán
  • Armor Gutiérrez Rivas
  • Nertos Gutiérrez Rivas

Light Source Design, Coding, Interaction Design: xLab

  • Levi Hammet
  • Mohammad Suleiman
  • Hiathem El-Hammali

Fabric Construction, Tailoring: Sayuri Kurotsu

Light Source Components & Fabrication: Applelec

Images by: Campovisible


Project Designers:

Rab McClure,
Director, MFA in Design

Marco Bruno,
Associate Professor

Giovanni Innella,
Associate Professor

Stella Colaleo,
Adjunct Professor

Reema Abu Hassan,
Adjunct Professor

Ayah Elnour

Gabrielle Tesfaye

Somaia Dorzadeh

Sidra Sohail

Steffi Braganza

Tasnim Rahimah

Tharwa Dalansi

Adriane De Souza

Destarte Prieto

Hind Al Saad

Mashael Almusleh

Moom Thahinah

Naima Almajdobah

Sara Alafifi

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