2016 October
Behnaz Farahi
2016 Fellow
Exploring the potential of interactive environments and their relationship to the human body, Behnaz Farahi is interested in the implementation of emerging technologies in contemporary art/architecture practice. Her goal is to enhance the relationship between human beings and the built environment by implementing design/motion principles inspired by natural systems. Application areas include architecture, fashion and interaction design. She also specializes in additive manufacturing and robotic technologies.
Her work has been exhibited internationally and has been featured in several magazines and online websites including WIRED, BBC, CNN,The Guardian, Motherboard, Dezeen, Frame Magazine, The Creators Project and many more. Behnaz Farahi has won several awards and is the recipient of the Madworkshop Grant and the Rock Hudson Fellowship.
Farahi has worked with leading firms such as Autodesk, Fuksas Studio, and 3DSystems / will-i-am. She has also collaborated with ProfessorBehrokh Khoshnevis on two NASA funded research projects developing a robotic fabrication technology to 3D print structures on the Moon and Mars.
Most recently, she is an Artist in Residence at Autodesk Pier 9. Currently she is an Annenberg Fellow and PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Media Arts and Practice at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She has a Bachelor’s and two Masters degrees in Architecture.
Daqian Cao
2016 Fellow
Daqian Cao is a designer who recently graduated from University of Southern California with a Bachelors of Architecture. He is originally from China and is now based in Los Angeles. His Hyper Chair is a project from the furniture design class taught by Scott Mitchell and John Uniack at USC School of Architecture. The Hyper Chair project won a fellowship and was sponsored by the Foundation to be further developed in its design and fabrication.
Edie Cohen
Deputy Editor at Interior Design Magazine
Board Member
Style-maker and Author
Edie Cohen joined the staff of Interior Design Magazine as an associate editor, was later named senior editor, and was most recently promoted to deputy editor. In 1994, she relocated to Los Angeles to establish the magazine’s first West Coast editorial office. Cohen is an industry leader who is frequently asked to be a guest speaker and a judge for design competitions here and abroad. She is the author of the book ‘West Coast Rooms’ and the co-author, along with Sherman Emery, of ‘Dining By Design’.
Sonia Lui
2016 Fellow
Sonia Lui is a student at ArtCenter College of Design, pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Product Design. She is originally from Hong Kong and based in Los Angeles. She began working with MADWORKSHOP when she won a fellowship for a class sponsored by the Foundation and realized her design, Sanke, a multi-leveled communal seating system that encourages human interaction. The permanent installation was unveiled at the plaza at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles in collaboration with the ArtCenter College of Design. Sonia is currently working simultaneously as a brand and product development consultant for Natural Link, a start-up lifestyle brand in Hong Kong; and as an R&D and Marketing intern at Herman Miller, also in Hong Kong.
MADWORKSHOP NYC Press Conference
On October 12th the MADWORKSHOP team flew to NYC in preparation for our Press Conference at The Storefront for Art and Architecture. MADWORKSHOP NYC press conference introduces the foundation to the east coast and has now…
+October 14, 2016
METROPOLIS MAGAZINE
The LA Incubator Inspiring A New Generation of Maker-Designers Founded in 2015, MADWorkshop inspires young designers to just “make things”—be it homeless shelters or modular furniture—and make a difference. By: Avinash Rajagopal Museum hoppers in downtown…
+October 12, 2016