Each year, AIA Dallas teams up with local architects and firms to create RETROSPECT, an 18-day exhibition held at NorthPark. Now, in its 25th year, the annual event returns through April 26 featuring three-dimensional installations expressing “Architecture Matters: Past, Present, and Future.”
Every Wednesday and Friday during RETROSPECT, I’ll be introducing a member of one of Dallas’ top architectural firms to tell us more about their exhibit and why architecture matters. Today we have Scott Hall, Principal and Director of Design at Omniplan Architects.
RETROSPECT has been a constant in my career as an architect. From the very first RETROSPECT in 1990 as an exhibitor, to AIA Dallas committee member, committee chairman, commissioner and always an exhibitor in ensuing years, being involved in RETROSPECT has been a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.
Architects are driven by the opportunity to be involved in things greater than ourselves. To be a part of a team whose purpose is to create something custom from scratch that will contribute to the fabric of our city for generations to come: buildings, public spaces, art, and organizations. We are a legacy profession: we learn a trade, practice that skill, and then pass it along to the next wave of talented visionaries.
RETROSPECT was initially envisioned as an outreach program by the AIA to increase awareness of the contributions of architects to society. Firms exhibited their project boards to show other architects what they were working on. The exhibit was in the Crow Collection of Asian Art pavilion, which leant the perfect modest but impactful beginning.
As public interest and architecture firm participation grew, we required a larger venue, which led us to today’s 25-year relationship with NorthPark Center. The “mall museum” venue positioned architecture alongside the Nasher family’s art collection and inspired a shift from sharing individual firm projects to conveying a larger public message: architects contribute in many significant ways; just look around you.
There have been many fun highlights over the years that pushed the boundaries of architectural design. Some exhibits have featured live fish in bowls swimming around little buildings, sustainable Chia-toliet, interactive 3D monitors where buildings popped up off of note cards, impressive video fly-throughs of cities and buildings, original artwork, original sculpture, student exhibits, student scholarships and lots of professional camaraderie and public appreciation.
OMNIPLAN’s exhibit this year pays homage to the theme of “Architecture Matters: Past, Present and Future” by exhibiting seven significant projects, one from each decade of our 60 years and one project for our future. The process of our all-volunteer OMNIPLAN team was to create an object expressive of our modern and innovative firm while featuring those seven projects. We learned a lot about our firm’s legacy and projects, but also about our contribution to our community and that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
