Reason and origin unknown, the objects recalled the introduction of the film “2001: A Space Odyssey”. The potential threat slowly turned into a benign stalemate as more and more people arrived. No aggressive sounds or movements were detected, except for the slight rotation of the columns when touched by children. Aspiring graduates began using the white obelisks as backgrounds for photos, emphasizing the stature of their caps and robes.

The individual expression of form was unmistakable, but the use of these objects was unknown. Someone in the crowd asked, “What do they mean?” One salesperson replied, “No idea, but I like this one. It makes me happy.”

Before the market opened, a poster arrived with a brief summary of the column’s presence. The Strange Visitors are landmark installations in the third phase of the Prince William County Eco-Park Learning Center project. The visit is a test of the column installation system as part of the third phase of a research work entitled “The didactic landscape”.

The applied research content of the project parallels the undergraduate training. The columns on display were produced by first-year architecture students Phillip Becher, Stella Shin, Jennifer Colebrook and Jonathan Chamblee. The experience began with sketches, followed by prototypes in polystyrene and wood processed on conventional machines. The prototypes were analyzed and refined with digital software, interspersed with hand drawings. After evaluating the alternatives, the columns were produced using robotic technology as part of the Center for Design Research.

The columns feature a cheerful message from academia to the Farmers Market social incubator.

— Submitted by Robert Dunay, FAIA, ACSA Professor Emeritus, TA Carter Professor of Architecture, Director, Design Research Center