MASH-M, a modular pavilion to showcase art, is an eco-friendly, inflatable structure.
It is not only an architectural shell, but a sculptural experience, transcending the definition of indoor/outdoor space, questioning the perceived need for permanent materials and siting. Our goal is to serve both the artists selected to exhibit at Art City Austin and the participants who attend the Festival.
Mash-M plays many roles. By day, its sensuous, rounded shape arouses the viewer’s curiosity, seeming playful, lighter-than-air, hinting at mysteries to be solved only by entering.
Its interior is flooded with natural light passing directly through translucent walls and ceiling.By night, suffused with interior illumination, it appears to float in the dark, a lure for the art and sculpture within – enhanced by targeted lights – glowing like jewels as visitors approach. They are welcomed, embraced by the softness, by the objects, by light, by the whole environment. In this comfort, mind and senses are fully opened to experience art. While its purpose is dedicated to attracting attention to art, Mash-M is distinctive for the following reasons: Mobility: Mash-M’s functional, minimalist construction of tactile skin over a strong, but lightweight, skeleton is easily collapsed, moved, and re-purposed.
Flexibility: With its modular plan, Mash-M can be reconfigured by arranging additional modules in a variety of shapes limited only by imagination.
Environmentally-friendly: Mash-M is an entirely green structure. The skin is corn bioplastic material derived from a renewable biomass source, rather than fossil fuel, offering, along with the aluminum frame, the option of either re-purposing or recycling. By using materials that meet contemporary environmental concerns and incorporating innovative concepts in design and use, Mash-M offers provocative ways of thinking about, and building for the future.