Daniel Arsham‘s recent collaboration with Storefront for Art and Architecture, entitled “DIG,” is comprised of three stages: an exhibition, installation and performances, and is performed by the artist along with the group Snarkitecture, which is “is a collaborative practice operating in territories between the disciplines of art and architecture,” according to their website.
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More images and text after the jump…
The exhibition, which displayed a series of studies developed previous to the installation relating to questions of form and exploring the idea of “In-habitation and play.” Various conceptual models for the space were showcased, from March 1st to April 3rd. The installation, which opened on March 29th at the Storefront for Art and Architecture on Kenmare street, features a space filled almost to the brim with architectural foam, which Arsham later transformed by tunneling through and creating a complex and fully-interactive space. The third and final section of the project entailed various performances in which the artist inhabited in and dug through the work, which viewers were invited to witness during bi-weekly performances.
In an interview with AnOther magazine Daniel remarked on the inverse relationship between architecture and and the project: “DIG essentially fills the entire gallery of Storefront For Art and Architecture with a solid form. Architecture is usually made by creating surfaces and planes that confine a volume. So you build a house. You build four walls and a roof and a floor and that defines an interior space but it’s always a process of addition where you’re adding things to define space. DIG is the opposite. It begins as a solid and the act of excavation, the removal of the form, creates this space within that.” Arsham burrowed through the expanded polystyrene (EPS architectural foam) using only small tools – chisels, hammers and picks, giving the area a rough, cave-like feeling.
Image courtesty of OHWOW
Image courtesty of OHWOW
The project terminated this weekend on April 23rd with a closing party at the Storefront for Art and Architecture. The materials used by Arsham will be returned to the manufacturer and subsequently recycled into foam insulation.
-L. Streeter
Related Links:
Exhibition Page [Storefront for Art and Architecture]
Artist Page [Snarkitecture]
19 Questions for Artist Daniel Arsham [Art Info]
