Ahrens, Vale, Van Dyck Murphy Named Exhibit Columbus University Design Research Fellows

Exhibit Columbus, an Indiana-based program that commissions site-responsive installations, has named faculty members Chandler Ahrens, Constance Vale, and Kelley Van Dyck Murphy among their University Design Research Fellows.

The program’s fifth cycle, themed “Yes, And,” invites artists, architects, and designers to attend a symposium and create an installation that uses existing materials to shape positive change. Ahrens, Vale, and Van Dyck Murphy are one team of six winners in the University Design Research Fellows category. They were selected through a national, open-call competition of university faculty whose research is “deeply rooted in design research.”

The team has been paired with the Columbus Area Visitors Center, where they will honor architect Alexander Girard’s work in Columbus — particularly the dollhouse he created for the Miller House — with a dollhouse of their own. “Our dollhouse will turn the city inside out, highlighting the often-overlooked significance of architectural interiors, textiles, and furniture, which are remarkably well-preserved in Columbus,” Vale said. “This model will engage the community with the city’s architectural archives and, together with the community, we will co-create a new textile that reflects the city’s diverse identities.”

Vale further explained that the project brings together the varied expertise of their architecture practice, AVV A, including her focus on miniature immersive environments, Van Dyck Murphy’s design research into textiles and ornament as cultural narratives, and Ahrens’ knowledge in digital fabrication, interface design, and interactive technologies that engage the public.