Founder
Materials and Applications
SPEAKER INFORMATION
Email: jenna@emanate.org
Website: www.emanate.org
SESSION DESCRIPTION
(R)evolution in light, form and materials
Through history, the evolution of form has largely been catalyzed by the evolution of technology and materials. Great gothic expanses of glass were made possible by harnessing the strength of the arch. Our modern cities grew skyward by virtue of steel and glass. The space age was powered by plastic, and the computer age offers an as-yet untapped universe of possibility. In today’s world, the designer faces a mind-boggling array of challenges, but is offered an ever-increasing palette of tools from which to tackle the problem at hand.
Our panelists will share their imaginative design processes which weave together new technologies and materials with factors such as social-consciousness and environmental responsibility.
SPEAKER BIO
Jenna Didier is in pursuit of a new approach to the built environment. A lifelong interest in the creation and use of public space has led to continual opportunities to expand upon her basic experience in construction and metal fabrication. The trajectory of her career begins with the development of technical skills in design, engineering, and fine arts to create mechanical effects, sculpture, and architectural water features to an active engagement in place-making for communities.
In 2002, Ms. Didier founded a non-profit outdoor exhibition space in Los Angeles called Materials & Applications (M&A). This facility mounts two temporary installations a year that showcase architecture and landscapes by firms or individuals that wish to demonstrate a new or emergent material or technique. M&A has won three AIA Design Honor Awards for their exhibits.
Ms. Didier created M&A in order that it be a driving force to increase public participation in the built environment by inspiring visitors with a fresh interest in their surroundings-while they experience the latest ideas in architectural design and theory. The aim: to push the application of materials beyond what typical limits of commercial, residential and traditional gallery-based projects allow towards a more flourishing, living architecture.
Ms. Didier is the principal of Fountainhead (www.fountainhd.com), a water systems design company that specializes in the intersection of technology and sustainable ecological practices. She also belongs to the art collaboration infranatural, currently developing two large-scale public art installations for the city of Los Angeles.
