below the skylight is open for people to occupy while the space behind the screens is reserved for Audio/Visual equipment. The equipment will be easily removable so the pavilion can exist as a sculptural object in the landscape during the cold months or between events. The use of an electronic membrane on parts of the exterior surface will act as a luminous cloak. I like to think of the structure as an advanced sundial with a living surface that responds to the amount of energy it absorbs and emits. The interior surfaces might be made of recycled barn material and/ or local animal fur. This warmer interior will greatly contrast with the futuristic look of the exterior, emphasizing a different ‘reality’ upon entering the structure. Project Pavilion will have multiple functions: A) Artists will be invited to create video triptychs that reflect on local and global environmental concerns that affect the OMI landscape. B) The 30’W x 8’H video wall will serve as a backdrop for OMI dance residents to interact with, as well as offer projection opportunities for other OMI-related events; C) Live video streams of international conferences and events focused on sustainability and ecological design, such as Pop Tech!, TED, Columbia Univ. GSAPP, RPI EMPAC, etc., will be partnered with Project Pavilion, offering a convenient alternative location for residents in the New York area. D) Ecological Design and manufacturing companies will be able to rent Project Pavilion and Ledig House accommodations, if available, for weekend think tank retreats or publicly display new products in the pavilion.

Describe the critical need your solution addresses.

I’ve defined the basic functioning of the pavilion and completed the initial sketch design phase for its engineering and construction. I’ve had communications with a few fabricators—most notably the company responsible for Anish Kapoor’s “Bean” in Chicago. I’ve consulted with local solar-power manufacturers and a video rental company in New York City as well as Dragonfly, a high-resolution live web video software developer, who is interested in contributing towards the project’s funding as well as supplying software.

The engineering of the structure now needs to be developed and refined, based on a clearer understanding of an actual budget. Also, the site needs to be solidified. The Project Pavilion first evolved in response to interest from the new architecture program at Omi, for which I’m an advisor. The John Michael Kohler Arts Center in Sheboygan, WI, would also welcome the project. I first developed the form for the Pavilion there during a sculpture residency during which I created large architectural appendages to be incorporated into an unfolding, self sustainable mobile container for multiple uses out of enameled iron and chrome-plated brass.

Funding: So far, I’ve identified one potential private funder who will contribute up to $50,000. Ideally the project could be completed for $250,000. Buckminster Fuller Challenge prize monies would be used to implement structural engineering and exterior fabrication. Additional funding for Project Pavilion will come from multiple grants, private donations, educational institutions, and private companies.

Year 1
Continue to develop the construction and engineering of the structure’s steel framework of the structure, its external skin and its electronic infrastructure. Complete fundraising

Year 2
Develop the Media component. Work with various video artists in curating first 3 years of programming.

Year 3
Site preparation and Project Pavilion fabrication and implementation.

Explain your initiative in more depth and its stage of development.

Project Pavilion is activated not only by its immediate surroundings (natural phenomena such as weather) but also by its ability to channel global concerns via its capacity for live video streaming. The project is designed on an entirely feasible and verifiable scale, accommodating 20-50 people maximum, both to enable its energy sustainable functions and in order to provide an intimate space to facilitate a vibrant exchange of ideas.

How does your strategy and approach respond creatively and comprehensively to key issues?

John Cleater
Founding member, The Builders Association (designed many of their cross-media productions). Project architect, Asymptote (clients: New York Stock Exchange, Documenta XI, BMW Headquarters, The Guggenheim Virtual Museum, Carlos Meile). With Hani Rashid (Columbia University School of Architecture), oversaw the creation of three large-scale interactive installations, American Pavilion, Venice Biennale, 2000. Other recent work: Kohler Foundry Residency, 2007; redesign for Brooklyn College Gymnasium, BCCP; Jury Selection, Highline Competition; "Emergency Exit,” Artist Space (part of "Digital Mapping in Architecture”). Also worked on projects for Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi, Vito Acconci, I.M. Pei. Teaching: NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), workshop investigating the threshold between physical and virtual space; Electronic Music Center, Columbia University, “Doublevision: Updating Thomas Edison Through Site-Specific Installation,” with Marianne Weems. Cleater is on the advisory commtitee at OMI International Arts Center's newest project, Architecture OMI: Exploring the Intersection of Art and Architecture. Masters degree: Columbia University School of Architecture.

Frank Gehry and Hani Rashid have both seen and are strongly supportive of the sculptures that initially fueled Project Pavilion. Dragonfly’s Guy Nouri is eager to participate, and possibly help fund the project. Art Omi has endorsed the proposal, pending funding.