This project examines the hidden reality of architectural walls, analysing how white finishes serve as aesthetic exteriors that conceal the underlying truth. The installation, which draws inspiration from Mark Wigley's White Walls, Designer Dresses: The Fashioning of Modern Architecture, aims to reveal the layers within a wall, its raw structure and functional components that are usually concealed behind the smooth surface. By doing this, the installation challenges traditional modernist perceptions of purity and beauty in architecture, arguing that the true wall is not what we see on the surface.

My project is inspired by Mark Wigley's White Walls, Designer Dresses: The Fashioning of Modern Architecture, which discusses the transition from the 19th century ornamental beauty to the modernist pure, white walls. Wigley describes this shift as architecture “stripping off the old clothing” of the 19th century to reveal a new, “naked” body, one shaped by mechanization, efficiency, and purity, becoming the symbol of modernism. According to Wigley, the white paint was meant to serve as the wall's skin, highlighting its nudity while hiding the intricate structure and purpose underneath.

According to Wigley, modernist architecture embraced these smooth, polished surfaces as a "fashion statement," designed to conceal the practical realities of structure and function. This demonstrates how architecture, like clothing, frequently conceals its true, functional truth behind an idealised exterior look. Today, advancements in technology and mechanization have brought a new appreciation for transparency, both literal and symbolic3. Glass walls, open frameworks, and exposed structures reflect a cultural shift toward honesty, where materials and structural elements are no longer concealed but celebrated. This transition points to a craving for honesty in design, mirroring a broader societal demand for openness and transparency.