As a contribution to Schindler Lab, I propose an application of pattern and adornment to the Schindler House’s tilt-up slab panels, responding to the history, design, and presence of both the house itself, as well as the complex interpersonal relationships that took place in and out of the house. This idea was conceived after extensive study of the residences and activities that took place within the building since its construction.

While simultaneously acting as a home and creative center for artists and radicals alike, the house’s own design reflected a cool and austere aesthetic from Schindler. The house’s aesthetic is intolerant of adornment or ornament, remaining strict in its geometry and physical features. The tense dichotomy between the house’s geometry and the patterned adornment are reflected in the impermanent, turbulent relationships of its inhabitants, and ultimately the building’s own slow decay, as a living structure itself.

I see Pauline Schindler’s gesture of painting the interior spaces as an act of intention, giving the building’s stark posture some life and adaptability to the evolving environment around it; political climates were changing, and the neighborhood was growing and densifying. Ultimately, the walls needed to reflect the lives of the house’s inhabitants and its surroundings.

My patterns are designed to represent intricate geometries, auspicious symbols, nature, and the tensegrity of interpersonal relationships. These will be constructed of cut screens and hung from the small hooks on the ceiling. When overlaid upon the cement and layered, the screens will create a moiré effect, which will give the walls a sense of movement and life.