Head Hi presents: Materialized Space, The Architecture of Paul Rudolph at the Modulightor Building

Join Head Hi, The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture, and Abraham Thomas, Daniel Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, for an intimate book talk featuring Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, the catalog for the current exhibition by the same title at The Met, and tour of the Rudolph Modulightor Building.

Rudolph co-founded Modulightor to create the kind of lighting he needed to compliment his own work - and then designed its glowing headquarters in the design district of mid-town Manhattan: a masterwork of high Modernism, embracing compositional complexity and layered space while supporting multiple functions.

Come with us as we explore both the recent publication, Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph, and the Modulightor space - furnished with unique furniture designed by Rudolph as well as many items from his personal collections.

More about the book:

Architect Paul Rudolph (1918–1997) was known for his iconic modern houses and exemplary Brutalist buildings in exposed concrete. Rudolph's popularity peaked during the 1950s and 1960s, when he served as the chair of Yale University's Department of Architecture, but his work fell from favor with the advent of postmodernism in the 1970s. This compact volume provides an introduction to and long overdue reassessment of the architect's trailblazing career, from his modernist Florida houses to his public and institutional buildings, unrealized megastructures, experimental interiors, and later mixed use developments in Asia. Abraham Thomas examines how Rudolph explored concepts such as functionalism, urbanism, and modular construction across decades and continents. Richly illustrated with photographs of the structures and Rudolph's own drawings as well as models, furniture, and period press clippings, this book sheds light on the architect's process and takes up themes as important in his time as in our own, such as civic design, housing development, and experimental materials and methods.

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Abraham Thomas is the Daniel Brodsky Curator of Modern Architecture, Design, and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art where he joined the department in 2020. Previously, he worked at the Smithsonian Institution (2016–20) where he was curator-in-charge of the Renwick Gallery, and then senior curator at the Arts and Industries Building. Prior to this—based in London—he was a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum (2005–13), and the director of Sir John Soane’s Museum (2013–15). His exhibitions at the Smithsonian included Futures (2021) and Disrupting Craft (2018); and at the V&A, Heatherwick Studio: Designing the Extraordinary (2012), 1:1 – Architects Build Small Spaces (2010), and Owen Jones: A Higher Ambition (2009). For the Sainsbury Centre in the UK he also co-curated Superstructures: The New Architecture 1960–1990 (2018).

Kelvin Dickinson Jr. graduated from the College of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning at the University of Cincinnati in 1996 and has been a lifelong fan of Mr. Rudolph’s work. He joined the Paul Rudolph Foundation in 2006 and became Co-Director from 2009-2010. After working overseas, he joined The Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture in 2017.

Eshaan Mehta is an Architecture student at the Pratt Institute School of Architecture. His experience includes work with Landmark Columbus Foundation in Columbus, Indiana, where he aided in the production of Exhibit Columbus. He is also an active member of Pratt SOA, being on the board of Pratt Futures, a student organization promoting and uplifting diverse student voices. He joined the Paul Rudolph Institute for Modern Architecture in 2022.

Head Hi is an organization dedicated to art, architecture and design specializing in publications and cultural programming with an espresso bar located in Fort Greene, Brooklyn by the Navy Yard. We feature a curated selection of publications from around the globe. Working with local and international artists, designers, publishers, community members and organizations in various fields, Head Hi is a space for exploration and interaction that hosts talks, book launches, art shows, music performances and other events. 

Images: Perspective drawing of the lobby interior of The Concourse, Singapore, Paul Rudolph, 1983, Ink on vellum, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress.