The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre in Dallas, designed by OMA and REX reverses the traditional theatrical sequence: the performance is preceded by closing the curtain as opaque shades cover the windows that entirely circle the hall. In addition to standard environment and wayfinding design, the Wyly includes two major graphic gestures: the perforated aluminum typography on the facade and the faux “curtain wall” printed on the outside of the black-out shades. The typography is formed by drilling saucer-sized holes through the facade and inserting a 60 foot light tube inside the aluminum extrusions that form the distinctive facade. The tromp l’oeil curtains are created by printing extremely low resolution images directly on to the shade material, with each shade displaying a unique portion of a 410 foot long image.
