Shaped by Water transformed creative education into a living experience. A collaborative studio project between the School of Architecture, Multi-Disciplinary Design, Unmet Need, and Gary Vlasic of V. Project, it brought together students, mentors, and the Salt Lake community to design a multisensory journey reimagining our connection to water and place through light, sound, fashion, food, and installation art.
The exhibit was part of a Special Topics course taught by School of Architecture professor Ashley Iordanov and Multi-Disciplinary Design professor Merel Noorlander. The course included 15 students who created an immersive environment featuring large-scale installation art—an abstracted Great Salt Lake with corded ceiling connections, a drought hall with projected visuals and a barnacle-themed fashion show accompanied by complementary bites, and a small reflective rain room with projections and interactive elements.
Co-teacher Merel Noorlander reflected on what made the course special: “What made this course truly special was the gift of time. Four whole weeks in Gary’s warehouse, off campus and outside the usual rush, allowed us to slow down, get to know one another, and really inhabit the space. Without the pressure of a single “build-up night,” we could play, experiment, explore stories, and discover what making together can be.”
With overlapping house sounds, barnacle-inspired fashion pieces, and representations of lake evaporation through string, the exhibit fused art, sound, and lighting design to present a fully immersive experience that blurred the line between reality and imagination.
Rory, a Multi-Disciplinary Design junior responsible for the 3D model of the display, described the excitement of seeing the final installation come together:
“We weren’t sure if it was gonna work. Once we got the lake form laid down and started stapling, we knew it would work. Concepts, processes—it felt great!”
“It was an incredible privilege to co-teach with Merel Noorlander and collaborate with Unmet Need and Gary Vlasic of V. Project to provide the framework and support system for students to explore diverse interests in sculpture, installation art, fashion, projection, sound engineering, merchandising, marketing, furniture design, lighting, and spatial creation within a cohesive, student-led design story presented at the Shaped by Water event,” said Ashley Iordanov.
The exhibit was a major feat representing the cross-disciplinary efforts both the School of Architecture and Multi-Disciplinary Design promote for student learning. It stands as a testament to the power of collaboration, innovation, and the transformative impact of creative education on community engagement.
Credits
Mentors
• Merchandise in Design Practice — Stefan Glerum (Amsterdam, NL) @stefan_glerum
• Fashion — Lindsey Fitzgerald + Cindy Bithell (SLC) @thestitchfitz @shindy_b @unmetneedslc
• Miniature Design — Haley Costomiris (SLC) @haleycostomiris @unmetneed
• 3D Modeling & Merch + Graphics — Trayce Webb (SLC) @traycewebb @unmetneedslc
• Immersive Installation / Architecture / Exhibit Production — Merel Noorlander + Ashley Iordanov @merelnoorlander_studio @ashleyanneiordanov @unmetneed @uofu_design @uofuarchplan
• Food Experience Design — Gary Vlasic (SLC) @v.project
• Cast & Mold Workshop — Kody Baird @kodj @uofu_design
• Pool Installation Advice — Mirko Lazovic (Amsterdam, NL) @nuncium
Featuring Arwyn Wakefield, Asya Staferska, Ben Davie, Ellis Ivory, Evan Tighe, Grace Miley, Haley Freeman, Hannah Hadfield, Jack Israelsen, Macey Olden, Mia Bookstaber, Rory Tarics, Rosie Coleman, Olive Yoo, Tyson Reynolds, Xuan Hoang
Co-organized by students of MDD & Architecture, Merel Noorlander, Ashley Iordanov, and the Unmet Need team in collaboration with Gary Vlasic Studio. This is the second edition of Unmet Need – first debuted Spring 2024.