WHITE is a spatial and interactive gallery installation reminiscent of relational art. It is an exhibition space, a meeting point, a ‘common room’ within a gallery and it is designed by Studio 400, a five-year-old architectural design studio at California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo.

The installation was conceived, designed and created by Studio 400 so that the students could showcase their research books. 'We wanted to create a continuous surface that would bring spatial interest and social interaction to the gallery. The woven installation is a solution to providing students and faculty with a setting in order not only to read about our projects, but also to enjoy the space,' say the Studio 400 team.

The viewer has the chance to take part in the installation and become part of it. WHITE has been constructed to be temporarily inhabited by the people who come to visit. The white space is calming, inviting and playful and it becomes a hub where people can explore the different books and enjoy them in a space made exclusively for them. 80,000 square feet of plastic sheeting have been sliced, loomed, woven, stapled, taped and tied to provide a climbable and malleable surface in the 4,500 square feet gallery space.  Some bespoke book slipcases are scattered around this space, along with all the different research books. These laser-cut, clear acrylic panels, aka the bookcases, serve as the hanging elements that would be the interface between the installation and the user. This is very smart way of showcasing the books, as the visitors are invited to step in, crawl, climb and sit down and read the books.

It is like a library space, which is interactive, non-static and fun. The installation was completed collaboratively over a five-day period after the students had conducted considerable research and brainstorming in order to find the most suitable materials and put all the components of this piece together.