A MACHINE FOR ART
[Competition, 2008]
T.emporary O.utdoor G.allery S.pace. There is a reason that many art galleries in this world are permutations on the cubic box - it is the most flexible container for most of the potentialities of art. With that in mind, this project set out to work with and push against the limitations of a ten foot by twenty foot box. If the space is already defined within the limitations of the proposal, the design is revealed in the fabric of construction.
Equal parts Swiss Army Knife and Rubic's Cube, the intent of the project was to insert a set of programmatic requirements - observing and participating in different forms of art - into a streamlined clockwork.
A box is comprised of six planes. In the TOG, these planes are multi-functioning mechanisms which change and interact with each other over time as program moves in and out of the gallery. The inner walls are a series of flexible frames covered in a rigid metal mesh. The mesh acts as a field of possible hanging points for 2-d art as well as a light dampener as it dapples sunlight entering the perforations. If a space for 3-d art is needed, the frames bend down to create a surface to set objects on. The ceiling is laced with a series of pull-down fabric "walls," embedded with grommets. They provide spatial division, more hanging points for 2-d art, a backdrop for performance art, and a screen for film. The exterior envelope provides a means of opening up the center of the box for stage and screen performances. The opaque exterior cover provides a surface for mounting photovoltaic panels on the top and supports the exterior branding armature. This frame can be mounted with panels of any number of materials, upon which graffiti and other 2-d artists can create a living art as they work to an audience, as well as give the individual TOG an identity. Finally, the floor plane rotates upon a central axis - transforming the TOG from a linear gallery to a centralized stage-like setup.
