Shaded Situations is an exploration of the changing cultural values associated with sunlight and shade in Los Angeles. Through photography, it documents formal and informal shading systems providing thermal comfort in the city. It begins to chart the city’s evolution from perceiving sunlight as a cure to perceiving it as a threat, pointing to the social challenges leading to shade inequity in the specific context of Los Angeles.

The study of shading devices that traverse the scale of the body to that of architecture translates into the design of a wearable architecture, in the form of a hat made from fabrics whose colors evolve depending on heat or UV intensity. By migrating shading away from architecture into fashion, the project also points to the diverse regulatory systems that govern shade, from building codes that ban temporary shading devices on streets to the lack of regulation afforded by individual fashion and expression. The fabric was dyed using two different dyeing methods that interact differently with heat and sunlight. These dyed fabrics were then sewn together to create a series of hats that evoke the block-colored umbrella patterns observed around Los Angeles, which are the only source of shade tolerated for street vendors.

Both photographic studies and installation were exhibited in Los Angeles, first at the Mackey Apartments Garage Top and later at an off-site reception and performance at David Horvitz’s Garden in march 2023.