WILLIAM MORGAN — UNTITLED

Untitled begins as an adobe structure in the form of the “#” symbol, evolved from scribal shorthand into a marker of measurement, organization, and digital connectivity. Visually, it mirrors a 3×3 grid used historically in Chinese agriculture to structure communal labor, and in sacred architecture and mysticism as a diagram of cosmic order. Its modern use in metadata and activism speaks to collective agency and interlinked narratives. Untitled frames a set of questions about the relationship between form and function, symbol and site, permanence and ecological fragility.  It asks: Can a modernist logic be softened or subverted through earthen form? What happens when a symbol of digital culture is rendered by hand in the climate of a future past? Why has modernist architecture in this desert region often overlooked the environmental processes that have shaped indigenous building practices?

About the artist: William Tyler Morgan is an interdisciplinary artist exploring the intersections of history, ecology, and social narratives. His work uses site-specific installations, sculpture, and research-based approaches to investigating themes of adaptation, mutualism, and transparency in untold histories. Committed to sustainable materials and traditional techniques, his practice interrogates shifting landscapes of identity, power, and environment.

Artist website: ineedtoknowmore

Project website: theopenform

The artist is very grateful to the professional team and volunteers that made this installation possible:

Architectural Advising / Assistance:
• Ben Loescher
• Lucy Lloyd
• Adam Ballard
• Adobeisnotsoftware

Construction Volunteers:
• Thomas Bonilla
• Amanda Cavallo
• David Hill
• Eric Linnert
• Sharla Pidd
• Lilliana Reynoso
• Lauren Sanchez
• Leigh Stone
• Danielle Giudici Wallis

Brick Making and Additional Assistance:
• Wild Mojave
• Rex Edhlund