PILLARS
2016
Part of the collaborative exhibition ELLIPSIS ELLIPSE with Norbert Costin
Five fluted pillars are inserted into the space, positioned in an interrupted line. Rising from the floor up to the ceiling, each pillar is composed of five identical parts plus an end piece at the top. The positioning of the pillars refers to the specific geometry of the space, defined by the flexed run of its side wall and a changing orientation of the space and its elements towards either one or the other of the two streets which frame the corner space in a non right angle. Among the pillars arranged in regular intervals, those are omitted which would interfere with the other works presented in the exhibition.
Inevitably evocative of the relief of antique columns as well as of thin modernist design, the pillars though are not based on historical style references. Their grooved surface is the result of an experimental development of molds and an interest in textured surfaces and their tactile presence in relation to the surrounding architecture. The surface of the pillars not only reveals their non-industrial manufacture through minimal imperfections within the uniform relief, but also strongly reflects the varying light inside the space.
The line of pillars adds to the massive existing pillar in the space which itself is composed of an actual pillar and a hidden flue. However, the serial composition introduces a foreign element that overlaps with the formal language of the given space. Narrowly proportioned, the pillars point to a shift of meaning of the architectural element from a necessary support or wall substitute towards a formal, conceptual or narrative element.
The work is based on the idea of the constructedness of space and of time as its condition. Time, or rather, different overlapping times are inscribed into architecture and its material. The sculptural work pursues the successive creation of the architectural space and creates a temporary, physical reality at the intersection of history, materiality and the layout of spatial possibilities.
Modelling plaster | 5 elements, each approx. 345 x 9.5 x 9.5 cm
Exhibition view: Réunion, Zürich, 2016
