Introducing Tangents
Like many firms, we kick off the week with a crucial check-in: our staff meeting. While some have wished for a more energetic start, we saw this as an opportunity to transform our Mondays into something more engaging and uplifting. So, we decided to enhance the experience - bringing excitement, energy, and a fresh perspective to the way we begin our week.
In 2023, after years of informal team-building activities, we formally introduced Tangents as an intentional part of our office culture. Creativity and design is not inspired in a vacuum. It is imagined by all that surrounds us. Problem solving for the built environment can be influenced by travel, food, culture, mathematics - anything can turn on that artistic switch. The question became: How do we encourage and inspire this exploration within our office? We broke the calendar down and assigned a topic for each month. Before we hit our desks every week, we take turns bringing in new introductions and different perspectives on the topic of that month. We explore and discuss the parts that pique interest, our individual personal impact, and how it can be integrated into how we practice. At first, Tangents started mainly as presentations, photo series or documentaries. Over time, it has evolved to include film screenings, hands-on activities, local experiences, and tours.
Today we are inviting you in to explore, comment, and share in these topics with us. Let’s widen our perspectives and see what we learn along the way.
While we prepare for future topics, here are some past themes and topics to rummage through:
2023 select highlights:
Identity / Bogdan Gibovan - 10/1 project - Bogdan Girbovan is a Romanian photographer who explores identity issues in his works. This series highlights the impact the human factor has in contributing to the aesthetics and use of space. Even when provided the same square footage, humanity finds ways to make it uniquely their own.
Ink / Traces of the Soul - a beautifully directed documentary that explores the world of contemporary calligraphy.
Water / Sambuichi Interview: Building with Sun, Water and Air - Travel through an enchanting sea of light and darkness orchestrated by the praised Japanese architect Hiroshi Sambuichi.
Color / La Muralla Roja by Ricardo Bofill
Protest / Rear Window - Naji al-Ali Conscience of Palestine - Thirty years after his assassination, family and friends reflect on his life and work. A highly regarded intellectual voice to articulate the struggle of the Palestinian people through caricature in the 70’s and 80’s: political cartoonist Naji al-Ali. He has left behind the symbol of Handala, which has been and is wildly prominent in Palestinian imagery & protest till this day.
2024 select highlights:
Music / Squaring the Circle - The story of the album art design studio, Hipgnosis, who created some of the most iconic album covers of all time.
Crime / The Devil in Me: H.H. Holmes - Step into the dark and chilling world of H.H. Holmes with "The Devil in Me: H.H. Holmes" Delve into the terrifying tale of one of America's most notorious serial killers as you witness his heinous acts and unravel the secrets of his macabre castle.
Pop Culture / In advance of Comic-Con 2024 we toured Balboa Park’s Comic-Con Musuem.
Food / We had an engaging tour of the Lafayette Hotel with visionary Arsalun Tafazoli who spoke about his personal influences and design inspiration behind San Diego’s most dynamic hospitality playland that is the Lafayette Hotel.
Sensory / We created personalized office terrariums led by NewSchool of Architecture & Design student Scarlett Bellier-Igasaki.
