What is QUIPIT?
QUIPIT is...
1] A forum for students and faculty to address architectural conversations through any form of expression they see fit.
2] A group of pals in architecture school that wanted more from the program.
3] Troublemakers
The [not finished but a summary of the] Story
"Nothing about QUIPIT is official"
I said this in a burst!
This statement perfectly sums up what we were and what we stood for in architecture school at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. We were casually supported by a handful of faculty, but we had about two handfuls against us, hands in the shape of fists! The academic adviser and myself never got along and out hatred for each other really set QUIPIT on a great path. many complaints and award winning instigation landed us some respect and gave us a forum to voice our opioins and the future of architectural education we believed in. Over the years we gathered some like minds and really had a blast. We all had issues with authority to a varying degree, but who doesn't?
This all really started with angst and irritation with poor turnout at school events and a large lack of participation from students and faculty alike. I inherited the QUIPIT name from Tom and Anne[a fellow library co worker], they gladly let me have it when they left and went off to graduate school. It was a good name, so I kept it. We had a semester or so of rule following conformity, we had to do so to get recognized by the school as an "Official" Architecture Student Organization [ note to anyone reading this, never seek this sort of approval, it only gives someone the ability to regulate you and your actions... and the amount of unruly fun you can have]. Considering our negative rough rapport with the adviser, we found that he would never support us, oh well, it just made his life worse in the end.
- Project 1: The first QUIPIT project included a table made from a door. We just sat it out in the Atrium and had students express their interests and what they want to see more of. This wasn't provocative any sort of "WOW" way, but it was controversial considering we never really got asked what we wanted, the students didn't have a voice. It went well until a friend photo shopped the directors head on The Great Gatsby [Leo wine head nod pose] and the secretary found it to be insulting.
*The director at that time was David Chasco, a good friend and former professor. Later in time I asked if he was offended by this image and he had no issues, he was cool and easy going. Something that my fellow students never seemed to realize was that he had a great personal commitment to the school and he was just so laid back about it all, always eager for students find their fun and "just go on with it".
** This is also the project that I became acquainted with Christian Pepper, a friendship/partnership that really helped me out.
- Project 2: The Swing Set
I like to stir up conversation and trouble, not the harmful kinda trouble, but the kind that questions the system and puts things into new perspective.
This is the part of the story where I got a few people to hate me and now they are my best pals and we speak everyday :)
The architecture department at the time was slowly deteriorating and really falling hard for the social media glamour, they wanted flashy design gigs to make the place seem more interesting. As this was happening, the university passed a restriction of smoking on campus, thus destroying the smoking culture club that used to congregate out in the courtyard.
Design Build Competition was born.
3 student bucked down and followed all the politics to gain funding and host a competition to revitalize the courtyard and bring back the social atmosphere.
$1,500 was the prize, allowing construction of the winning submission to be realized. I don't know why I didn't just submit like everyone else and get the money, I only thought that doing it subversively was the way to go, make the point and conclude that it could be done for less. To end this part of the story, the winner was some excessively designed coke a cola bottle holder pavilion that was not practical, and they ended up settling on a love seat with polycarb roofing fastened to a PVC space frame. It didn't succeed in meeting the goal of the brief and it wasted funds.
It was spring at the time and it was bone chilling cold for Illinois, the spring weather was beginning to ease up and the actual winners were behind on construction of the thing because of the weather. I saw my chance. With their delay to play into my advantage, and a sunny day in the forecast, it seemed I had a week to work out an idea. A Swing Set!!! I sat in class for a week, cut the swings and finished them off in a flashy orange paint job. This is where I needed help, to fasten the swings I asked Paul to tie the knots, Colter was supposed to know how to do this but the boy scouts of America program had failed him.
In the morning we also found out that the graduate program wa shaving reviews in the atrium WITH FOOD! the food brought the crowd and the weather brought the crowds outside to use the swings.
IT WAS A $28 SUCCESS. We did it.
As for the individuals that hosted the comp and were angry that I set up the swings in their spot... they hated me for a bit but we all became friends and we really value each others skills <3
Video by William "Bill" Smarzewski
Senior Year:
I was really interested in public forum and discussions, structuring QUIPIT around a discussion similar to that found at Van Alen and Storefront Architecture. It turned out well, we focused on Suburbia and its inherent infrastructural systems.
There is a lot more to this story, considering it lasted about 3-3.25 years, there is too much for me to document on here. The listed items above are some of my favorite memories.
From Left: Christian "Salty" Pepper, Ray Majewski, Chris Woodward, Robert "Bert" Prochaska
*Bill Smarzewski not in photo