Project by Shao-Wei Wang & Nien Lee & Guan-Yi Siao
After Vessel is a project that reimagines and deconstructs the New York landmark, the Vessel. The Vessel is not only a symbol of late capitalism’s excess, but also demonstrates how images have come to dominate contemporary architecture and material production.
The project uses the method of “material mutations,” leveraging digital media and various resources to experiment with changing the Vessel’s material, texture, and context. Through this, the project explores how architecture can shift between virtual and physical worlds, creating entirely new spatial experiences.
We trace the Vessel’s journey from its inspiration in India, through its fabrication in Italy, its design development in London, to its completion in New York. At every stage and location, we observe how the Vessel is redefined by images and media.
The Vessel itself is a building made for images. Using digital technologies, AI, and social media, we allow it to mutate in different environments and materials, producing a variety of new forms.
These critical copies and mutations invite us to reflect on architecture’s sense of place, materiality, and value. While they may seem to celebrate the Vessel, they are also meant to question and challenge its original meaning, searching for new possibilities for architecture in an age shaped by images.
