As part of The Mint Museum’s CAD (Contemporary Architecture + Design) lecture series co-sponsored by Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), renowned landscape architect Mikyoung Kim will speak about her past experiences and work being incorporated into the CATS Blue Line Extension project. The lecture will take place on Feb. 18, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Mint Museum Uptow. The event is free and open to the public.
The lecture series is aimed at exploring innovative perspectives and insightful stories about architecture and design. Hailing from Boston, Kim is an internationally renowned landscape architect and artist whose work addresses pressing environmental issues and celebrates the beauty of the collective human experience through the use of contemporary materials and technologies. Kim’s diverse background in music and sculpture has shaped her body of work, blurring the boundaries between design and environmental art. She has received awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects. Her work is also featured in Architectural Record, the New York Times, and Dwell Magazine. She founded Mikyoung Kim Design in 1994 after acquiring degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Design and Oberlin College and is now Professor Emerita at Rhode Island School of Design. Kim’s lecture will discuss the connection between music and the choreographed sculptural experience. Projects discussed will include the Chicago Crown Sky Garden, the Flex Fence sculpture outside of Boston, the Pendulum Project at the Dulles International Airport, the Timelines commission at the Austin International Airport and her current work in progress for CATS at UNC Charlotte.
Kim’s designs, to be integrated into the UNC Charlotte Main Station and adjacent plaza, originated in the spirit of university learning through interaction. Central to the plaza will be a perforated stainless steel seating element made of two undulating forms to serve as a gathering area. The sculptural benches provide over 100 feet of seating. The weaving plaza design will consist of four paving materials, blending through to UNC Charlotte’s signature red brick. Kim also chose to light the plaza using white and colored LED lights on four painted light poles that are activated by motion sensors, creating an active environment for visitors in the evening. On the station platform, the glass windscreens will feature maps of the world overlaid with time zone lines in 5-minute increments, further mimicking the textures found in her bench.
