From November 6-9, students from Pratt’s Senior Interior Design Studio class participated in SOFA CHICAGO (Sculpture Objects Functional Art + Design), an annual art and design fair that draws 35,000 visitors from the United States and abroad. The class, taught by Associate Professor of Interior Design Deborah Schneiderman, was one of six international university art and design teams that contributed to CONNECT, an exhibition of designed spaces incorporating seating, lighting, and objects. Participants designed, built, and installed a unique lounge on the show floor where visitors could interact and discover new works and trends.

Pratt’s lounge, titled “Call + Response,” was inspired by the topographic landscape of Chicago—gridded city lines juxtaposed with the organic curves of Lake Michigan—and the improvisation of jazz music. The lounge included a stunning illuminated canopy of laser-cut paper designs referencing Chicago and Pratt that transformed over the course of the fair through visitor engagement. The space also featured lounge stools and flooring made from felt remnants; the stools broadcast jazz music to event visitors. The final element was a piece of wearable technology—a felted pin developed by Associate Fashion and Industrial Design Professor Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman—that visitors could customize using a programming app.

Image: Pratt Interior Design seniors installing structural lighting element for SOFA 2014 Installation