FIU Architect graduate student and artist Tyler Oviedo, is the brain behind CALLE Studio. Since founding his Miami-based brand in 2022, Oviedo has actively combined architectural design and multimedia art into his artistic processes. The student visionary’s sonic installations, large-scale paintings, and sculpting are vital to his creative mission. Read further as he sits down with Adult to explain his desire to invoke thought provocation and reflection to all that encounter his originality.

How did you first discover your talent for the arts? Did you immediately know you'd incorporate it into your future profession?

My interest in the arts goes way back to my childhood. I was a hyperactive child and my mom would give me coloring books to stay still. The pandemic really brought me back to having a very busy mind and I found the process of creating art to be great for expressing things I could not express with words, therapeutic to be honest. In high school, I was in band, chorus and I always felt the need to dress fashionably. Once I got to architecture school I realized it was a great medium to express ideas in a way that anyone in any field could understand. But, I also knew that architecture was not meant for me because it required a very logical and practical way of thought because at the end of the day the built environment has rules that need to be followed. In the moments I wanted to drop out of school, I would find design studios that did not practice architecture in the most practical way, that made me realize that it was going to be worth it in the end. Plus Virgil Abloh studied architecture and used his skills to create an entirely new way of pursuing fashion, which I deeply admire.

*Oviedo, with his own personal abstract piece*

How have you incorporated your love of fashion into your expertise on architectural design and 3D printing?

I think fashion has an attitude that is not very present in the world of architecture, since it is something that is so structured and organized (architecture) . You see this attitude more in the world of interior design where there is an expression of emotions and ambiance, they quite literally have to decorate to give space a "vibe". I like to incorporate this expressive attitude when I am form making, and music is what inspires the majority of the forms I make. In early 2000s house / dance music there are sounds that are repetitive and have a beat that sounds like someone is strutting down the runway, it sounds silly but these sounds become shapes in my mind and then I sketch them and then make 3d models out of them.

*3-D Printed Vases*
*Designer: Tyler Oviedo*

What has studying architecture done for your skill set in terms of project management and creative development?

Studying architecture has planted a seed of logic in my brain, i think without that sense of logic and groundedness I would probably be a mess. The architectural process can play out in many different ways, but I think what always worked for me was the use of precedence and at the very beginning of any project I had to be inspired by something that would fuel me to the very end of a design project; that being architecture, art, philosophy, history, culture, or photography. Then having limits, to make sure I don't end up somewhere completely different from where I started. Lastly, timelines are MAJOR to project development . I work great under a lot of pressure and having time constraints really lights me up to finish something.

For creative development I think the biggest gift that architecture gave me was the idea of conceptual thinking and user experience. If the end goal is to impact someone with an idea, how can you figure out a way to say it and make sure that they really get it?

*Thesis Project Displayed at The Kampong* 2023

What is driving your current inspiration to create at the moment?

I think the biggest source of inspiration is always using objects of any scale to inspire the forms I create. I like to imagine the shape of skyscrapers in the scale of a lamp, or the shape of a plant repeated many times over a flat plane to create a 3d object. Living in an urban environment and being fascinated about what is built makes you hyper aware of the shapes around you, especially when you have to have an opinion on what is being built. Miami has beautiful architecture in many of its historic neighborhoods, but developers are building matrix-like boxes in these neighborhoods and displacing a lot of people. So at the moment I'd say the shapes I find in these historic areas is what inspires me.

Sculpture By the Sea 2024

Weathered Reclaimed Wood

Designer: Tyler Oviedo

Do you have any collections coming up that you are looking forward to sharing with the world? In return, how do you want the world to view you as a designer?

I am actually currently working on a furniture collection that is inspired by Miami and other objects that go along with those pieces. Hopefully, these objects will help me get in the flow of building things with my hands again, and that should prepare me for fashion week/ basel to debut a combination of designed objects that also function as wearables. I want the world to view me as a multimedia designer, i don't like to think about putting myself into any particular box of just being a furniture designer or just a jewelry designer. I have literally been trained to think about designing at any scale so that's just the way my mind works and for the time being, it's how I want my design studio to work.

ARTISTRY THROUGH ARCHITECTURE: WITH TYLER OVIEDO

BEHIND THE LENS OF 3D DESIGN WITH JULIA KOERNER

EXPLORING FASHION FREEDOMS WITH LARA ONTIVEROS