CHIAROSCURO

a cultural guildhall for photography and cinematography

New York City, New York

This guild hall, located in the Lower East Side, symbolizes a cultural anchor in order to deepen ties with the vibrant community. It serves as a center for the community to explore photography and visual culture as mediums of empowerment and catalysts for social change. Within this space, the community will find opportunities to enrich themselves with knowledge and study previous well-known works in the medium, as well as contribute to community exhibition spaces.

There are plenty of gallery spaces and pin-up or critique areas for those who choose to come together as a community to learn from each other. There is studio space for both analog and digital methods, such as digital film-making and photography studios for in-house productions, and a dark room with further photo processing spaces for analog film photography. A preliminary study of the inner workings of a camera, and elements such as “camera-obscura” inform design elements that pull from the qualities of antique cameras, while combining a modern feel to the spatial orientation and circulation.