Case Study Second SKN
Material Research Cycora® (Los Angeles)
Form // Matter Cen Freedan O. (Los Angeles)
Form // Matter Jiaqi Peng (Los Angeles)
Textile // Wearables Leeann Huang (Los Angeles)
Textile // Wearables Riv McCall (Los Angeles)
Olfactory Design Namisanati Fine Perfumery (Iran)
Ornamentation Taylor Bringhurst (Los Angeles)
Sponsor Culture Pop Soda
Sponsor Kace Tea
Second SKN is an experimental group showcase shaped by shifting textures and transformation. Informed by traditions of textile innovation, organic decomposition, and sculptural experimentation, the showcase traced the life cycles of matter—how materials erode, reform, and accrue meaning over time. Through diverse processes, the featured works explore material transformation as both a formal and conceptual framework. Weathered edges, unstable textures, and transitional states reveal how matter resists containment and calls for re-examination.
As part of Kive Studio’s ongoing mission to merge research, interactivity, and multidisciplinary design, Second SKN functioned as both a material investigation and a social experiment. The exhibition explored the symbiotic relationship between human experience and material change, reinforcing themes of sustainability, transformation, and the politics of consumption. This curatorial framework brought together artists working across bio materials, ephemeral installation, sculptural play, fragrance, and wearable art, forming a cohesive yet dynamic conversation between disciplines.
Kive Studio led the full design and production of the space, centering interactivity and sensory immersion. A custom modular structure, crafted from reclaimed steel, anchored the exhibition and shaped the flow of movement, offering guests a tactile journey through shifting material states. The space framed materiality not as static form but as living process. Complimentary refreshments from sponsors Culture Pop Soda and Kace Tea were woven seamlessly into the experience, grounding the event in multisensory connection and fostering an atmosphere of community exchange.
Creative Direction, Event Programming, Spatial Design, Media Production.
Featured Artists
Cen Freedan O. is a LA-based artist whose primary mediums are sculpture, installation, performance art and textile manipulation. Their work acts as a visual journal existing within their own, and their viewers’, subconscious. They explore different theories of the self, corporeality as a grounding practice, art as a form of immortalization, and an emphasis on honoring private rituals. Their upbringing allows influences from Buddhism, Hinduism, and pre-colonial rituals/traditions, creating an interplay between ancient philosophies and fables within a modern context.
Watch our “Inner Room” interview with Cen here
Photo Credit: Isabella Margolis
Jiaqi is an Interdisciplinary Designer and Artist, driven by imagination, the sense of self, and the art of fusion. Their creative journey unfolds through everyday life, an ongoing adventure shaped by curiosity and discovery. Inspired by fashion, nature, and culture, Jiaqi crafts textured, meaningful experiences across multiple disciplines, emotions, and media. Lightings, ceramics, and furniture become mediums for connection, inviting people to feel and reflect. For Jiaqi, design moves beyond form and function into the realm of human connection.
Photo Credit: Isabella Margolis
Cycora Event Programming
Cycora’s technology, which regenerates molecules from textile waste to extend the life cycle of clothing, speaks directly to the core theme of second SKN. Rather than letting these material innovations remain confined to the lab, we aimed to create a direct channel for communication—where art, science, and sustainable practice converge in an interactive, public-facing event.
We saw Cycora LAB as an integral part of this narrative, bridging our featured artists and brands with the cutting-edge research emerging from the LA community and positioning it within the broader fashion landscape. Their team brought an engaging presentation of their ongoing research and fabric samples, illustrating regeneration processes and the continuous life cycle of their materials.
Watch our “Inner Room” interview with Nava here
Photo Credit: Will Portman
Leeann Huang Spatial Design
Through a focused collaboration with fashion designer Leeann Huang, Kive Studio recontextualized wearable art as sculptural storytelling. Her vibrant, circular textile garments were suspended midair within a custom-built installation, emphasizing the pieces’ layered textures and post-consumer lineage.
Drawing from the exhibition’s themes of transformation and decomposition, we sourced reclaimed steel soccer goal scaffolding from a local LA facility and repurposed it into a modular rigging system. Fine tension cables created a sense of weightlessness, allowing the garments to shift subtly with movement and light.
This custom spatial framing offered guests a full 360° experience, paralleling the cyclical textiles of Leeann’s practice and inviting engagement with the work.
Textural Index
Captured using a portable texture scanner, this series of process notes documents fragments and compositions from guest garments throughout the showcase. Each scan highlights subtle variations in texture and form — an archive of individuality and material presence.
