Helmut Jahn’s massive open atrium of the James R. Thompson  Center was intended to be an architectural metaphor for transparency— revealing government in action, the public “improvising” their civic  rights and duties in concert with elected officials. Within this context,  “The Forum” will be a stage, a screen, an instrument, and a backdrop,  creating space that can be transformed through its use as a venue  for convening, public programming, and the arts, fostering a sense of  community and encouraging social interaction and engagement. 

Forum will serve as a prototype to evaluate and acquire new fields of  knowledge through the creation and curation of an improvisational  platform for exploration, dialogue, and urban activation, in particular,  those that illustrate the complexities of contemporary cities. 

inference is deeply interested in the physical manifestation of  objects; how they’re conceived, designed, and the craft of making.  The tectonics of an object are a direct reflection and representation  of how they are used and what they can achieve. It is with this  understanding that we will “rehearse” new modes of manufacturing,  assemblage and organization.