Nicholas Morris is a California born artist, artisan and architect, living and working in Grenoble, France. He obtained his BFA in sculpture with a minor in visual studies at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco and his Diplôme d’État from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble. He has over a decade of experience working within the theory and practice of socially engaged art and his works often take the form of pedagogical and building collaborations. He has organized projects in the U.S., U.K., India and France and has been the recipient of the Wornick Scholarship for excellence in woodworking and the IMPACT social entrepreneurship award from the Center for Art and Public Life in Oakland, California. 

My practice explores our relationships with our built environment. I consider the act of building as a form of biofeedback—a reciprocal exchange between our attitudes and emotions and the material forms of constructions. The way we build reflects our psychological and physical states. In turn, the shaped space acts upon us, subtly influencing our behavior, emotions, and perceptions.

This un/sub/conscious exchange between individual psyche and constructed space expands to a collective scale, where the built environment becomes a reflection of collective consciousness. Through construction, symbols, values, and collective narratives materialize, forming a visual and spatial language. These structures, imbued with our histories, beliefs, and aspirations, bear witness to our societies. Thus, I observe the built environment as a means for the construction of cultural identities.

Through my work, I aim to materialize these attitudes, materials and personal relationships, as well as the broader social dynamics of labor and the discursive forms that emerge in this reciprocal process. My work lies at the intersection of sculpture and architecture, and my projects often originate in the artistic interpretation of construction processes.

My practice embraces social sculpture, placing collaboration and engagement at the core of my work. Informed by the theory and practice of socially engaged art, my projects often take the form of pedagogical and building collaborations. My work interrogates the transformative power of art in public spaces, often becoming constructive events that integrate pedagogical and participatory dimensions. Learning by doing and self-taught approaches are essential elements of my practice, fostering direct interaction with both the material and immaterial environments.

1990 Born Nicholas Edward Morris in Chico, California to Stephen and Barbara Morris, the younger of two boys

1994-2002 Elemantary School at Maria Montessori

2005 During his secondary schooling, Nicholas enrolls in a Regional Occupational Program for which he is placed in architecture, landscape architecture and engineering workshops to gain experience as a draftsman

2008 Collaborates with his father, an orthopedic surgeon, to design and fabricate a prototype for a cannulated hip screw, subsequently patented under their names

2009 Graduates Chico High School, with honors in the sciences and applied arts

2009 Moves to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to begin his bachelor's degree in architecture, where he meets future collaborator Eike Maas

2010 Disillusioned by how little the studies seemed to deal with people or housing needs, Nicholas returns to California and begins to study sculpture at the California College of the Arts

2010 Begins apprenticeship under Zen Buddhist priest and traditional Japanese temple carpenter, Paul Discoe

2011 Travels to Bangalore, India to work on a project at the Srishti School of Art and Design, supported by CCA Center for Art and Public Life

2013 Works as an organiser and apprentice wood worker for the reconstruction of the ceremonial gate at the entry of the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California

2013 Graduates from the California College of the Arts with a bachelors of fine arts degree in sculpture, minoring in visual studies, with highest distinction

2013 Moves with partner and fellow artist Simin Eivazi to London, England

2013 Works as a fabricator for designer Martino Gamper along side fellow designer Tiago Almeida

2013 Marries Simin Eivazi in London, England

2014-2017 Utilizes material knowledge in plaster, plastics, metal and carbon fiber to collaborate with technicians and medical professionals of the National Health Services in the United Kingdom to hand-make bespoke orthotics and prosthetics which assist people with birth defects or injuries to walk

2017 Relocates to Grenoble, France, to research at the Institut de Géographie Alpine and L'Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Grenoble

2017 Participates in the workshop Socially and Community Engaged Art led by the artist Rick Lowe at the Cittadellarte Fondazione Pistolleto, in Biella, Italy

2018 Artist in residence at the N — E º W ˝(S) season school in Berny-Rivière, a small village in the Aisne, in the north of France

2018-2019 Participates in the construction of a Club House in La Verpillière, France as part of the Design/Build Lab program at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble

2019 Co-founds the Blue Room Studio with Simin Eivazi in Grenoble, France

2021-2022 Graduates from the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Grenoble with a masters degree in architecture with the mention “bien”

Since 2023 Works as an independent artist and designer collaborating on various projects with other artists, artisans and architects