Vanessa Till Hooper

Creative Director/Founder

I identify as both an artist and a designer, with a body of work that traverses the intersecting disciplines of art, architecture and experiential design. In 2018 I founded my creative design atelier, Studio HHH, and with my small team of talented creatives have had the opportunity to design and build a wide range of large-scale public art, architecturally integrated installations and immersive environments throughout the US and beyond.

In recent years I have furthered my specialization in creative tech, integrating video content and developing custom code for interactive and programmable light-based works. I have found that growing my skillset has enabled me to continue to evolve the creative nuance of a concept well into the fabrication phase, elevating the overall beauty and impact of the installation.

My creative process is informed by over 20 years of experience working in the field. After studying art in San Francisco I pursued a Masters Degree in Architecture from SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. After graduating I began designing architectural interiors in Los Angeles and Mumbai, by the time I moved to Boston in 2014 to delve further into my interest in creating public art, I had several years of experience developing a personalized design process.

The habit of routinely engaging in design thinking and insightful problem solving quickly influenced my creative practice as an artist, resulting in a process of developing public art that is structured more like a design studio. I love investigating the fertile layers of community context with the rigor architects use to examine a site condition, working through the opportunities of social impact with the same attention to detail I spend on mechanical fasteners or material tolerances.

Now my work is guided by three driving beliefs: 1) Good design occurs as a result of thorough investigation and solution oriented insights 2) Innovative design occurs when the process of discovery leaves room for the unexpected to emerge, allowing for a new visual language with a strong and lasting aesthetic 3) Great design cana only occur when the process is human-centered.

Over the course of my career I have become increasingly fascinated by the many ways in which public art can actively empower individuals and communities with agency, voice, and choice. I have come to understand that my artistic practice does not yield work that is an expression of the human experience but rather in service of it. I have shifted my perceived value of art from object to experience, the measure of success determined not by the market, but by the individual visitor's inner reaction. By prioritizing accessibility and intentionally inclusive engagement, art has the power to elevate the human experience, inspire our communities and change our world.