Rebirth of the City | integrating art and architecture
We interviewed LSM architect studio after our social impact collab with Argentine artist, Christian Riffel.
LSM team with Magis Puppy by Christian Riffel
Washington, D.C.
LSM is an architecture and design practice with offices in Washington, DC and New York City. Integration of art and architecture is an essential part of LSM’s mission. The studio has collaborated for over 3 decades with many artists and curators to create works that transform spaces, elevate brands, and raise consciousness.Evie, why did LSM produce this event and why did you all think Christian Riffel would be a great artist to collaborate with?
LSM has participated in the Magis Puppy Gala almost every year it has been put on. This year was the first with a theme, “Rebirth of the City”, and LSM was assigned Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Buenos Aires is home to many talented artists, but we chose Christian Riffel for his bold use of color and geometry, and his work ranging in scale from the building to the canvas, bridging the themes of the city to the scale of the puppy sculpture. We imagined his work breaking down the scale of the dog as an object, making one look at it differently. We also wanted a striking puppy design that people would be excited to bring home in order to raise money for the local animal rescue the Gala supports!
Do you think that art can change the world? Do you think that it can be a bridge to connect the Americas?
Integration of art and architecture is an essential part of LSM’s mission; we’ve collaborated for over 2 decades with artists to create works that transform spaces, elevate brands and raise consciousness. What better way to celebrate the City than through its artists?
Art has always been a connection across borders, and this befits the theme, “Rebirth of the City” because cities are not so much reborn as recontextualized, built up or painted over, to be given a new viewpoint or a new voice. This holds true as much in Buenos Aires as it does in Washington.
EVIE SOILEAU
LSM
Considering Chris’s artistic career and process, what would you like to see him do next?
Chris’s partnership with the Positive Force Team made the collaboration with LSM quite fluid even with the design and execution occurring over 5,000 miles away.
Now that we know location’s not a limit, we’d like others with a vision to consider Chris’s work in more architectural settings, anywhere in the world.
Overall, how was your experience working with The Positive Force Team?
They were a delight. They were up for the challenge, and it was great to see them pull in the necessary talent (for example, a 3D renderer to translate Chris’s 2D work into 3D) so the end product would be as true to Chris’s vision as possible.
Interview by Maryella Marie
| Creative Director & Social Impact Producer | The Positive Force Team
"Working with The Positive Force Team was a delight. They were up for the challenge, and it was great to see them pull in the necessary talent (for example, a 3D renderer to translate Chris’s 2D work into 3D) so the end product would be as true to Chris’s vision as possible.”
—Evie Soileau, LSM
