Looking Forward: A New DMA

In 2022, the DMA formally began the process of expanding and renovating its campus. The decision was made to conduct an international competition to find the architect, and out of over 150 submissions, six finalists were then chosen by a search committee. From the six, one - Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos - was selected as the designer of the renovation. To provide the public with context and visual information about the project, a small gallery space was transformed into a dual-part presentation. Starting with a timeline describing the events leading up to the new design in the foyer space and then progressing into the future vision of the building, the presentation makes use of light as the predominant material choice. The architects are employing the concept of light as their guiding design inspiration, which made it an obvious choice for this installation as well. Dates case as shadows and vertical LED strips indicate key moments in the DMA’s history within the timeline graphic in the foyer; once inside the larger gallery space, the light strips rotate horizontally to guide the viewer to information about the future design. A large paper chandelier drips from the ceiling to provide a soft continuation of the illumination theme, while also lowering the scale of the space for a more intimate experience.