Vincent James and Jennifer Yoos
Minneapolis, Minnesota
The work of Vincent James and Jennifer Yoos has evolved toward the goal of being a “polyvalent,” “reflexive practice,” one that is capable of deploying a diverse set of conceptual and material responses to the unique qualities of program and place. VJAA’s work exhibits a level of formal and material precision and minimalism that results in an increased density and richness of experience for the inhabitants; “The hallucinatory effect derives from the extraordinary clarity and not from mystery or mist. Nothing is more fantastic, ultimately, than precision.” They are critical of formal style and material uniformity, and, rather than seeking to propagate an image, they develop each project as an organic idea specific to its site. Arguing that eccentricity acts to curtail disciplinary discourse, their work engages the modern tradition of typological evolution. Their “reflexive practice” involves engaging the context, environment, and traditions of building, integrating these with the local culture and social practices of the inhabitants. All their work actively reengages existing local craft and material traditions in order to allow them to be adapted for new uses and to be regrounded in our time.
