Nader Tehrani

Nip Tuck Diptych: A Combined Perspective on Geometry and Figuration
By Nader Tehrani of NADAAA and Sharon Johnston of Johnston Marklee

Otis College of Art and Design Presents the 2010-2011 Donghia Designers-in-Residence


WHO: Nader Tehrani of NADAAA and Sharon Johnston of Johnston Marklee are the 2010-2011 Donghia Designers-in-Residence at Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles.

NADER TEHRANI is a principal and founder of the newly-formed NADAAA, a practice dedicated to the advancement of design innovation, inter-disciplinary collaboration, and intensive dialogue with the construction industry. As the founding principal of Office dA, Nader Tehrani's work has received many prestigious awards, among which are the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture, the
American Academy of Arts and Letters Architecture Award, and 13 Progressive Architecture Awards. Tehrani is also a professor and the head of the Department of Architecture at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning.

SHARON JOHNSTON is a founder and principal, with Mark Lee, of Johnston Marklee, an architectural practice based in Los Angeles. Johnston Marklee is currently developing projects around the world. Johnston works with artists, fabricators, and engineers to customize and integrate formal, material, and
component-building systems into distinctive architectural solutions. Recent awards include the 2009 Silver Medal from the Architectural Bienal in Buenos Aires, Architectural Review House Award 2010, as well as awards and recognition from the American Institute of Architects, Chicago Athenaeum, and Progressive Architecture.

Nader Tehrani (as Office dA) and Johnston Marklee collaborated on the award-winning Helios House, among other projects. www.bp.com

WHAT: Otis College presents Nip Tuck Diptych, a lecture by Nader Tehrani of NADAAA and Sharon Johnston of Johnston Marklee

A combined perspective on geometry and figuration, borrowing from various disciplines -- from mathematics to tailoring -- Tehrani and Johnston interrogate the shaping of architectural forms. Operating at a range of scales from furniture and interiors, to buildings and landscapes, the diptych structure will offer an examination of the contrasting roles of the abstraction of mass and the articulation of skin in the work of the two practices.

WHEN: Thursday, January 27, 2011
Lecture: 7:30pm Reception: 9:00pm (doors open at 7pm; unreserved seating-first come, first served)

WHERE: The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
250 South Grand Avenue, Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90012

The lecture is free and open to the public. Additional information available at http://www.otis.edu/calendar or by calling 310 665-6867 or email archscapes@otis.edu

This lecture was made possible through a generous donation from The Angelo Donghia Foundation, and organized by the Architecture/Landscape/Interiors Department at Otis College of Art and Design, with Linda Pollari, Chair. The partnership between Otis and the Angelo Donghia Foundation began in fall 2008 with the first Donghia Designer-in-Residency presented by Eva L. Maddox of Perkins + Will | Eva Maddox Branded Environments™. In 2009, the Donghia Designers-in-Residence were David J. Lewis and Marc Tsurumaki, two principals of the New York-based architecture firm, Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis. The program's goal is to introduce internationally renowned and award-winning design professionals to Otis students and the greater Los Angeles interior design community. The Donghia Designers-in-Residence, selected for their contemporary and innovative work, are principals of their firm or senior designers in a large firm who are committed to teaching future designers.

PRESS CONTACT: Sheri Mobley (323) 668-0874 smobley@mobleymarketing.com

About The Angelo Donghia Foundation: Angelo Donghia created The Angelo Donghia Foundation, Inc., in January 2001 to help educate, encourage and inspire future designers. This not-for-profit foundation provides support for two distinct areas: the advancement of education in interior design; and
the discovery of causes and methods of treatment for AIDS and its related diseases.

Photo Description/Credit:
Left image:
office dA
"mantra"
Photographer: John Horner

Right image:
Johnston Marklee
"View House," Argentina
Photographer: JML/Diego Arraigada

Founded in Los Angeles in 1918, Otis College of Art and Design prepares diverse students of art and design to enrich the world through their creativity, their skill, and their vision. The College offers an interdisciplinary education for 1200+ full-time students, awarding BFA degrees in Advertising, Architecture/Landscape/Interiors, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Illustration, Graphic Design, Product Design, Painting, Photography, Sculpture/New Genres, and Toy Design; and MFA degrees in Fine Arts, Graphic Design, Public Practice, and Writing. Continuing Education offers certificate programs as well as personal and professional development courses. Additional information is available at http://www.otis.edu.

Press Contact: Margi Reeve, (310) 665-6957 mreeve@otis.edu