Aura Venckunaite

Chicago, United States

Aura Venckunaite is a designer and educator working at the intersection of architecture, fashion, and material culture. Her research-driven practice uses interdisciplinary methods and emerging technologies to generate immersive environments, experimental objects, and spatial experiences. Aura teaches at the University of Illinois Chicago, where she leads design studios and technology seminars. She has also lectured at UCLA, the Illinois Institute of Technology, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Venckunaite holds both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Architecture from UIC. Her work explores how cross-disciplinary approaches can expand architectural practice and reframe design as a medium of cultural and material exploration.

2025 Biennial Project

Project Overview

This installation features oversized soft drapes made from faux fur, industrial netting, and padded materials. Positioned along a key circulation path, the curtains transform the space into an immersive environment that invites visitors to slow down and engage their senses.

The work explores how materials designed for comfort and protection shape both physical space and emotional experience. By turning everyday textiles into large-scale architectural elements, the project highlights the cultural and social meanings embedded in the surfaces around us. Framed as a “partial reconstruction” from the Era of Softness—a time marked by over-comfort and abundance—the installation encourages reflection on material culture, memory, and how fashion and architecture influence the way we experience space.

Chicago Architecture Biennial