Untitled wall project for Goethe in the Skyway (produced 2018, on display 2018–19)
Collaboration with Kelsey Olson
Movable wall made with custom-made drywall. Wood, plaster, paper, inkjet prints,
drywall screws, casters. 7'6" x 10' x 2'
We have been interested in building something ‘from the ground up’, something
‘before’ the artwork that is also an artwork. A related appeal for us is the
simultaneous creation of the artwork and its support. There is something interesting
and absurd to us in building everyday materials (drywall, in this case) ourselves.
This ubiquitous material, always hidden under layers of paint, is made by the
acre in factories around the world (cheap and uniform), yet we labor over custom
mixes of various powders to make a ‘substandard’ (nonuniform) version. Of course,
even this is done all the time by people making various ‘bespoke’ products. This wall is meant to support other art work, and to some extent, the program
itself. In this way it can seem to sink into the background. The wall is caught
between rising up—being built as an artwork from raw materials—and sinking, retreating
into the background as support for another work or a boundary within the space.