LATE architects: typographic installation

‘_AFxTT[…]’ graphic installation by LATE architects all images courtesy of LATE architects

polish firm LATE architects (tomasz janiec and mateusz morski) have designed a graphic installation ‘_AFxTT[…]’ for the joined offices of creative incubator kompany. located in a renovated industrial structure in kazimierz, poland, the project is based on the placement of the building, translating the surrounding site into typography. integrating both text and space, the lines protrude off the wall and continue onto the ceiling and floors, thus immersing the viewer into the transition area. each stroke has been developed depending on distances, surfaces, heights and placement of the fixtures to create the highly personalized common area. since the relationship between the geometry changes depending on the viewpoint, Xs mark the spot where the forms intersect and the most important observation points can be found.

the typography correlates with the space

after taking photographs of abandoned factories and industrial areas, the duo play with the exposure of their photographs, eventually reducing them to an unrecognizable graphic. often involving graffiti painting, the results are translated into an architectural equivalent. the composition often focuses on the 45 degree angle, a popular hatching standard in autoCAD (a computer program commonly used for technical drawings). the prominence of the angle gives the illusion of dimension on a flat surface. when layered, the configuration of the letters creates positive and negative space. the structure of the characters themselves combine wider and slimmer lines, giving the viewer a different experience depending on the distance from which they view the installation.

view from office

there are two rectangular boxes are made of OSB (oriented strand board) and painted black. the cuts are generated using a CNC machine with graphics developed on autoCAD. with a dimension of 45 x 45 x 125 cm (18 x 18 x 49 inches) per piece, the volumes are both light boxes and furniture objects. on one side, the LATE logo is illuminated, while on the opposite case, there are 3 Xs, a short form which stands for compilation x corelation x cooperation x collaboration.

_AFxTT[…] in numbers: 2 people 1400 photos 14 400 minutes of work 32 000 mL of paint 70 000 centimeters of tape

the graphics change and intersect depending on the viewers perspective