Molly Hunker: Spiritual Kitsch

Molly Hunker, inaugural Douglas A. Garofalo Fellow at the School of Architecture at University of Illinois at Chicago, joins the Graham Foundation April 7 for a presentation on her current research and culminating fellowship project, Myth.

Hunker’s fellowship research has centered on kitsch artifacts and their potential to recalibrate contemporary notions of atmosphere and engagement. Myth, opening at UIC School of Architecture April 1, focuses specifically on the home shrine, re-envisioning the richly decorative and kitsch accretion through the lens of the architectural installation. The discussion will explore how home shrines and related assemblies can provoke new understandings of visual opulence and lead to the production of emotionally resonant architecture.

Molly Hunker grew up in Wyoming and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College and Master of Architecture degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Hunker has worked for architecture studios and art workshops in Seattle and Los Angeles and has taught at UCLA, Woodbury University and University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the co-founder, with Greg Corso, of SPORTS, a design collaborative that aims to reconcile the intelligence and sensibilities dormant in the crafty, cute and commonplace with that of the high-tech, couture, and complex to distill the opportunities born at this intersection.

Image: Molly Hunker, Myth Candles.