Showcasing 2D works curated by A+D Museum x Thom Mayne’s Stray Dog Cafe

Exhibition Statement

Impossible Drawings is a collaborative exhibition by A+D Museum and Thom Mayne’s Stray Dog Cafe directing audiences to reconsider spatial assemblage while it is still in the threshold of physical realization. The selected artists — visual theorists, architects, professors and writers — push these boundaries of what architectural drawings can be.

Artist Bios

Bea Martin is a Portuguese-born British architect and Senior Lecturer at the Manchester School of Architecture, where she leads Inscriptive Practices and Future Processes. She earned her degrees from the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Lisbon, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Architecture by Design at the Bartlett School of Architecture. With over a decade of design experience in London, including work with Richard Rogers and Partners, she also founded Speculative Assemblies, an experimental design lab. Her research interrogates the role of drawing as a performative process, emphasizing its potential to construct new meanings through assemblages. By challenging conventional architectural representation, her work explores how drawings can facilitate understanding and experience of architectural space. Martin’s investigations aim to transform drawing into a methodology that transcends traditional limits, re-evaluating how architectural ideas are conceived and communicated in innovative ways.

Bryan Cantley is a prominent architect and Full Professor of Design at California State University, Fullerton, with prior teaching roles at SCI-Arc and Woodbury University. An alumnus of UCLA and UNCC, Cantley has exhibited his work internationally, with pieces included in the permanent collection of SFMOMA. He has received several accolades, including a Graham Foundation Grant in 2002. His research explores the intersection of architecture and its media, particularly focusing on drawing as a site for experimentation. By utilizing graphical residues and exploring the implications of media, Cantley’s work seeks to create new zones for spatial inquiry. His publications include Mechudzu and Speculative Coolness, reflecting his innovative approach to architectural representation. Through continuous experimentation, Cantley’s practice investigates how drawing can serve as both a medium and a methodology, unpacking architectural objects in real time to reveal deeper conceptual insights.

Neil Spiller is an internationally recognized architect and Editor of AD, currently serving as Visiting Professor of Architecture at Carleton University, Canada. With a distinguished academic career, he has held significant positions at the University of Greenwich and University College London, where he was Vice-Dean and Graduate Director of Design. Spiller’s editorial work includes eight editions of AD, such as Architects in Cyberspace and Drawing Architecture. He has authored several influential books, including Cyberreader and Architecture and Surrealism. As a founding director of the AVATAR Group, he explores the impacts of advanced technologies on architectural representation. His visionary approach and contributions to architectural discourse have been widely published and exhibited, establishing him as a leading figure in the field. Spiller’s work challenges conventional notions of architecture, advocating for a speculative and digitally informed practice that engages with contemporary issues.

Perry Kulper is an accomplished architect and Professor of Architecture at the Tubman College of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Michigan. With a background in teaching at SCI-Arc, Penn, and ASU, Kulper’s career includes significant experience with notable firms such as Eisenman/Robertson and Venturi, Rauch, and Scott Brown. His research focuses on the generative potential of architectural drawing and diverse design methods, aiming to expand the conceptual frameworks of architecture. Kulper published Pamphlet Architecture 34 in 2013, alongside collaborator Nat Chard, and is currently working on a new book with UCL Press. His recent explorations into digital design tools reflect his commitment to evolving architectural practices. Kulper’s work seeks to broaden the cultural impact of architecture through innovative representation and an engagement with contemporary challenges, underscoring the importance of drawing in the design process.

Peter James Baldwin is a registered architect, artist, and educator based at Loughborough University, where he engages critically with contemporary architectural representation. His teaching experience spans various institutions in the UK and internationally, and he has exhibited work at Yale School of Architecture. Baldwin’s research has been published in DRAWING: Research Theory, Practice and AD, and he has contributed to works such as Speculative Coolness. His practice explores non-traditional modes of representation, focusing on the intangible aspects of architecture. By conceptualizing drawing as a site of transformation, Baldwin investigates the spectral qualities of architectural representation, navigating the space between interiority and exteriority. His work challenges conventional boundaries, aiming to uncover new meanings and insights within the architectural discipline, particularly through the lens of Derrida’s theories on meaning and becoming.

Curated by:

A+D Museum – Stephanie Ibarra

Stray Dog Cafe – Thom Mayne & Lucy Sherman

A+D Museum Exhibition Team:

Janna De Vera

Daniel Shweiri

Matthew Pak

Tae-Hyun Kwon

Paola Corteletti

Graphic Design by Mia Chamasmany