Behind an unassuming exterior at 97 Kenmare Street, the Storefront for Art and Architecture is hosting an exciting and unprecedented installation and performance piece. Throughout April, Dig, the latest interactive installation from Daniel Arsham and Snarkitecture (an artistic architectural firm he founded with Alex Mustonen in 2008), is taking shape. Having filled the gallery space with architectural Styrofoam, Arsham is carving a negative structure using hammers, chisels, and picks, examining the architecture of excavation. This piece is not only an experiment in architecture, but juxtaposes modern architectural and archaeological methodology with the use of more primitive tools.
Whitewall visited Storefront Art last Friday where we found Arsham answering the door, hair and jeans flecked in Styrofoam. He lead the way into the cavernous space he has been sculpting since March 28th. At 30, Arsham is a celebrated contemporary artist. His work has shown in New York, Miami, and Paris, and his collaborations with Merce Cunningham and Dior have garnered him worldwide acclaim.
Entering the carved Styrofoam installation, our initial impression of spelunking was soon replaced with a sense of wonder and ease as we sat in one of the chambers. Daniel extrapolated on how the use of different tools on this medium can have strikingly different effects as we looked at and felt the highly textured, chiseled walls lit by batter-powered tea candles.
When we asked about the impetus of the installation, Daniel referenced previous projects. Those were conceived on a much smaller scale, he explained, or were constructed. With Dig, he is taking a drastic step away from the concept that architecture is completely man-made; that it can be sculpted from found material or material present in a self-sustained state. That it can be subtractive, as opposed to additive.
Dig, on view through April 23, is not simply a work of art, but a tactile and visceral experience for the participant.
Dig's progress is tracked daily at OHWOW
