Celebrating Chicago’s Architecture from Bricks to Steel
Celebrating Chicago’s Architecture from Bricks to Steel is an exhibition of 25 photographs of the city’s famed architecture, presented by local artists. It will be on display at the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower from October 1 through November 10, 2015.
Chicago is a city intrinsically linked with architectural progress. Home to the first skyscraper to use steel instead of cast iron in its structural frame, Chicago is synonymous with pushing architectural boundaries. Now, a new exhibition at the Chicago Photography Center, is celebrating the city’s rich heritage.
Celebrating Chicago’s Architecture from Bricks to Steel is the result of collaboration between the Chicago Photography Center and the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower. The collection of 25 photographs, all by local artists, presents a unique perspective of the city’s famed architecture. On display in the lobby of the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower, the exhibition will run from: October 1 through November 10, 2015. Attendance is free and open to the public.
Local Chicago photographer and Board Member of the Chicago Photography Center Will Knight comments,
“The Architexture: Celebrating Chicago’s Architecture from Bricks to Steel exhibition is a great way to share a unique view of our city with other Chicagoans and with visitors from elsewhere. It’s a way to celebrate our heritage and our contribution to modern cityscapes across the globe.”
Chicagoans’ contribution to modern architecture is a significant one. The pioneers of the Chicago School, back in the 1880s and 1890s, explored the possibilities of steel frame construction and plate glass, leading to the construction of some of the earliest modern skyscrapers. Architects worked alongside engineers to move large buildings away from their trappings of heavy brick and stone, in the direction of glass and terracotta skins, thanks to the technology employed to construct their steel frames.
The Chicago Photography Center and the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower exhibition is taking place as part of the inaugural Chicago Architecture Biennial, which will run from October 3, 2015 through January 3, 2016. Celebrating ground-breaking architectural projects and spatial experiments, the event will encompass a raft of public programs, kiosks and seminars designed to explore “how creativity and imagination can radically transform lived experience as we negotiate urban, suburban, and rural contexts.” It is expected to attract in excess of 250,000 visitors over the three months that it runs.
“This is a key stage in the fascinating tale of Chicago’s architecture,” it is great that the Architexture: Celebrating Chicago’s Architecture from Bricks to Steel exhibition is part of it. Chicago’s contribution to the world of spatial design is still far from over and being able to capture that journey through photography is incredibly inspiring.”
All images exhibited are for sale and can be purchased the exhibit.
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