Standing Out While Fitting In - Defining “Cute” | A Collaboration with Renee Irwine and Marie Han
In our work, we were interested in how the general feeling we experienced throughout the neighborhood surrounding the Menil campus, which we defined as "cute," could be condensed into a singular space via the method of layering fences and buildings. We were particularly interested in the fences, porches, and rooflines of the houses in the neighborhood, so we analyzed how these elements traditionally found in a neighborhood affect a public space. To achieve our goal, we examined the different views from the street and how unique viewing areas were created from the fence lines, walls, and roof lines. We then built seating areas into the walls that create a new view for the person sitting there. In addition to the natural views experienced from the fences and walls, we also included artificial viewing areas like the indoor and outdoor theaters that add to the domestic characteristics of our space. Lastly, the two-dimensional fence lines juxtapose with three-dimensional buildings to create the illusion of a neighbor with fence and building profiles.
The result of our study was that the combination of two-dimensional and three-dimensional figures paired with elements such as fences, theater seating, and gardens created a "cute" home-like space. Despite the program of an institutional building, the separation of the building into four distinct separate buildings and an outdoor space helped to maintain a warmer domestic theme for the space rather than a cold corporate one.
Cute:
According to Sianne Ngai, cute is defined as things that "evoke in us a desire to protect them," things that are "warm and fuzzy," or things that possess a "physical smallness and vulnerability." The Oxford dictionary defines cute as "attractive in a pretty or endearing way."