A Star is Born: Wendy Opens at MoMA PS1

For more photos, see slideshow.

Long Island City, NY--MoMA PS1's popular Warm-Up series now has a powerful, iconic image thanks to Matthias Hollwich, lecturer in PennDesign's Department of Architecture and principal of HWKN, winner of the PS1 2012 Young Architects Program.

"Wendy," the smog-fighting spiky blue star dreamed up by HollwichKushner (HWKN), a New York City based architecture and concept design firm, debuted this week. She was supported by a team of former PennDesign architecture students, including HWKN partner Marc Kushner, BA'99, Project Architect Robert May, MArch'08, Dwight Engel, MArch'10, Michael Golden, MArch'11, Adam Hostetler, MArch'10, David Lee, MArch'03, Bradley Schnell, MArch'11 and Brett Wiemann, MArch'11 as well as recent Master of Architecture graduates Gregory Knobloch, MArch/ GIS'12, Andreas Kostopoulos, MArch'13, Evan Litvin, IPD/MArch'12 and Andreas Tjeldflatt, MArch'12.

According to HWKN, Wendy "does not play the typical architecture game of ecological apology - instead she is pro-active." An experiment in pushing the boundaries of what architecture can do in an urban environment, Wendy features an inexpensive construction system comprised of repurposed scaffolding.   The bright blue nylon fabric treated with titania nanoparticle spray, neutralizes airborne pollutants, equivalent to taking 260 cars off the road during its temporary display at PS1 through the summer of 2012.

The courtyard at MoMA PS1 will be activated by tools like shade, wind, rain, music, and visual identity to reach beyond her envelope. Wendy's spiky arms reach out with micro-programs like blasts of cool air, music, water cannons and mists to create social zones throughout the courtyar,d attracting the attention and piquing the curiosity of those meandering along Jackson Street

Wendy will be on view until Sept. 8.