We had the good fortune of connecting with Catie Newell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Catie, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
There is so much unseen work. The best ideas are not transferable on a timesheet, nor brought out in an instant. They slide in on their own schedule — built upon a knowledge that comes in ways that aren’t always describable but emerge from constantly watching the world as it is, and imagining how it could be. This requires so much energy and imagination that take both takes time and cannot always fully be accounted for, but good design is always worth that little bit of extra space.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I am an architect and an artist. I work in an array of scales, moving between buildings, installations, and products. My process involves a lot of hands-on making and experimentation with a great intrigue into space, materials, and optics.

Long ago I decided that humans were not going to be the only occupants of my design work. I was interested in making spaces where light and darkness became the main inhabitants of the work. This opened up for me an important way to look at materials as a host of stories and effects. This also allowed for my work to integrate ephemeral conditions such as day and night, the changing of the seasons, and the preciousness of exact timing.

My path has included studying as an architect, working for one of my architecture heroes, and teaching architecture, all ways for me to try and find my voice that was both spatial and deep into making. I am admittedly still trying to find my way! My projects have built up doing a lot of work driven by chasing a vision or pull, and not necessarily by a project that had a particular client, or even budget. This has often felt like constantly having two jobs. Building up the portfolio of work has taken a lot of time but is driven by projects that my heart is very much so drawn to do.

Alibi Studio is always searching for places and partners willing to remake the world in beautiful and unexpected ways. We lead with our hearts, work with our hands, and work until we see beauty with our eyes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
There are so many treasures throughout the city that we would be constantly on foot, taking in different areas of town.
This would include the ever-changing Riverfront which stretches for miles along the edge of the Detroit River and traverses next to all the boats between downtown and Windsor.

Then we go to Belle Isle, taking in this enormous park and some of its gems like the Aquarium and the Conservatory.

We’d spend time moving through downtown, looking at the buildings that are new and old.

A day would certainly be spent hopping between the Detroit Institute for the Arts and the Public Library.

No matter what season someone arrives, walking around and taking in the city shares the warmth of the city.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My father, Charles Newell. He was my right-hand on so many of my earlier installation projects. And while we made very experimental projects, he never questioned the work with any sort of doubts. He instead questioned the work with a constant effort to understand and make sure he was giving it his best. I am forever indebted to his constant encouragement and ability to believe in the work far better than I ever understood.

Website: https://www.alibistudio.com

Instagram: @alibistudio

Image Credits
All images credited to: Catie Newell of Alibi Studio

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