Snarkitecture
Encyclopedia
Snarkitecture is a Brooklyn
, New York based collaborative practice founded by Daniel Arsham
and Alex Mustonen.
with other artists and designers. They aim to reuse or misuse existing architecture to make architecture perform the unexpected. Arsham and Mustonen met while studying at the Cooper Union
in New York City
and established Snarkitecture as a formal practice in 2008.
Why Patterns is a performance by choreographer Jonah Bokaer
in collaboration with Snarkitecture, who designed the scenography
. The work is titled after the score Why Patterns? by the composer Morton Feldman
. The piece originates with a ping-pong ball that initiates a series of choreographed games. Various events flood the stage with thousands of balls, which are then manipulated by the movement of the dancers. Originally commissioned by Dance Works Rotterdam, the world premiere was held in February 2010 at the Rotterdamse Schouwburg in Rotterdam
, Netherlands
. The U.S. premiere will be on August 3, 2011 at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Dig
Dig was an installation and performance in collaboration with Daniel Arsham
at Storefront for Art and Architecture
in New York, NY during March and April, 2011. As an investigation of the architecture of excavation, Storefront's gallery space was infilled with a solid volume of EPS architectural foam that was then excavated by hand using hand tools to create "a cavernous space for work and play."
Richard Chai x Snarkitecture
In October, 2010 Snarkitecture paired with fashion designer Richard Chai
to create a temporary retail installation at 504 West 24th Street in New York, NY. The collaboration was the fourth in a series of five installations presented by the non-profit organization Building Fashion. Snarkitecture’s design for the space uses a single material to fill an existing container beneath the Highline. White EPS foam was carved by hand to create a “glacial cavern” for the display of Richard Chai’s collection – the material was recycled back into rigid insulation at the close of the project. The installation was open from October 21 – 31, 2010.
Commemorative Marker and Column Illumination
In December, 2009, Daniel Arsham
/Snarkitecture were commissioned to create two public art
pieces at the new Miami Ballpark (designed by Populous) in Miami, Florida, scheduled to open in April, 2012. A commemorative marker designed to honor the former Miami Orange Bowl
is based on Miami-raised Daniel Arsham’s memories of the old “MIAMI ORANGE BOWL” sign. The letters will be reconstructed in their original ten foot height and orange color and scattered throughout the public plaza on the east side of the stadium. Their positions will capture an ambiguous moment between destruction and rebuilding, standing vertically, horizontally, mid-collapse or submerged in the ground and spelling various words as visitors move around them. The installation by Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture for the illumination of the columns at the new stadium will use the simple idea of revealing and concealing the columns through the use of light. The lighting of the four super columns which will support the stadium's retractable roof uses programmable LED
lights that fade up and down the columns in subtly shifting patterns, evoking the rhythm of a human breath.
2010
2009
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York based collaborative practice founded by Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham is a contemporary American artist raised in Miami, Florida. He currently lives and works in New York City.- Practice :...
and Alex Mustonen.
About
Snarkitecture's work is focused on designing within existing spaces or collaborationCollaboration
Collaboration is working together to achieve a goal. It is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together to realize shared goals, — for example, an intriguing endeavor that is creative in nature—by sharing...
with other artists and designers. They aim to reuse or misuse existing architecture to make architecture perform the unexpected. Arsham and Mustonen met while studying at the Cooper Union
Cooper Union
The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly referred to simply as Cooper Union, is a privately funded college in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, United States, located at Cooper Square and Astor Place...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and established Snarkitecture as a formal practice in 2008.
Projects
Why PatternsWhy Patterns is a performance by choreographer Jonah Bokaer
Jonah Bokaer
Jonah Bokaer is an internationally acclaimed choreographer and media artist. He has dedicated a short lifetime to expanding live performance through choreography, digital media, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and social enterprise, in the United States and internationally.-Education:Originally...
in collaboration with Snarkitecture, who designed the scenography
Scenography
-Usage:Whilst also aligned with the professional practice of the scenographer, it is important to distinguish the individual elements that comprise the 'design' of a performance event from the term 'scenography' which is as an artistic perspective concerning the visual, experiential and spatial...
. The work is titled after the score Why Patterns? by the composer Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman
Morton Feldman was an American composer, born in New York City.A major figure in 20th century music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown...
. The piece originates with a ping-pong ball that initiates a series of choreographed games. Various events flood the stage with thousands of balls, which are then manipulated by the movement of the dancers. Originally commissioned by Dance Works Rotterdam, the world premiere was held in February 2010 at the Rotterdamse Schouwburg in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The U.S. premiere will be on August 3, 2011 at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.
Dig
Dig was an installation and performance in collaboration with Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham is a contemporary American artist raised in Miami, Florida. He currently lives and works in New York City.- Practice :...
at Storefront for Art and Architecture
Storefront for Art and Architecture
' is a contemporary art and architecture institution founded in 1982 in New York City.-Background:Founded in 1982 by Kyong Park, Storefront for Art and Architecture is a nonprofit organization in New York City committed to the advancement of innovative positions in architecture, art and design...
in New York, NY during March and April, 2011. As an investigation of the architecture of excavation, Storefront's gallery space was infilled with a solid volume of EPS architectural foam that was then excavated by hand using hand tools to create "a cavernous space for work and play."
Richard Chai x Snarkitecture
In October, 2010 Snarkitecture paired with fashion designer Richard Chai
Richard Chai
Richard Chai is an American fashion designer. Chai creates clothes for an eponymous label. Before launching his own line, he designed for Marc by Marc Jacobs.In 2008, he released a capsule line under Target's Go International.-Collaborations:...
to create a temporary retail installation at 504 West 24th Street in New York, NY. The collaboration was the fourth in a series of five installations presented by the non-profit organization Building Fashion. Snarkitecture’s design for the space uses a single material to fill an existing container beneath the Highline. White EPS foam was carved by hand to create a “glacial cavern” for the display of Richard Chai’s collection – the material was recycled back into rigid insulation at the close of the project. The installation was open from October 21 – 31, 2010.
Commemorative Marker and Column Illumination
In December, 2009, Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham
Daniel Arsham is a contemporary American artist raised in Miami, Florida. He currently lives and works in New York City.- Practice :...
/Snarkitecture were commissioned to create two public art
Public art
The term public art properly refers to works of art in any media that have been planned and executed with the specific intention of being sited or staged in the physical public domain, usually outside and accessible to all...
pieces at the new Miami Ballpark (designed by Populous) in Miami, Florida, scheduled to open in April, 2012. A commemorative marker designed to honor the former Miami Orange Bowl
Miami Orange Bowl
The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
is based on Miami-raised Daniel Arsham’s memories of the old “MIAMI ORANGE BOWL” sign. The letters will be reconstructed in their original ten foot height and orange color and scattered throughout the public plaza on the east side of the stadium. Their positions will capture an ambiguous moment between destruction and rebuilding, standing vertically, horizontally, mid-collapse or submerged in the ground and spelling various words as visitors move around them. The installation by Daniel Arsham/Snarkitecture for the illumination of the columns at the new stadium will use the simple idea of revealing and concealing the columns through the use of light. The lighting of the four super columns which will support the stadium's retractable roof uses programmable LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
lights that fade up and down the columns in subtly shifting patterns, evoking the rhythm of a human breath.
Exhibitions
2011- Dig, Storefront for Art and ArchitectureStorefront for Art and Architecture' is a contemporary art and architecture institution founded in 1982 in New York City.-Background:Founded in 1982 by Kyong Park, Storefront for Art and Architecture is a nonprofit organization in New York City committed to the advancement of innovative positions in architecture, art and design...
, New York NY - Not the Usual Suspects: [new] Art in [new] Public [new] Places, ArtCenter/South Florida, Miami FL
2010
- Total Housing 01: Apartments, Storefront for Art and ArchitectureStorefront for Art and Architecture' is a contemporary art and architecture institution founded in 1982 in New York City.-Background:Founded in 1982 by Kyong Park, Storefront for Art and Architecture is a nonprofit organization in New York City committed to the advancement of innovative positions in architecture, art and design...
, New York NY - Booooooth, New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA)New Art Dealers AllianceThe New Art Dealers Alliance is a not-for-profit arts organization founded in 2002 that supports collaboration and the exchange of information between its members. Membership extends to invited galleries, curators and gallery directors...
, Miami FL - The Business of Aura, Elga Wimmer Gallery, New York NY
Awards
2010- Richard Chai / Building Fashion Series, Commissioned, New York NY
- Stephen P. Clark CenterStephen P. Clark Government CenterThe Stephen P. Clark Government Center, known also as Government Center, Miami-Dade Center, or County Hall, is a skyscraper in the Government Center district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States. It is the headquarters building of the Miami-Dade County government. Many county offices are...
Lobby, Art in Public Places, Finalist, Miami FL - In the Public Realm, Public Art FundPublic Art FundThe Public Art Fund is a non-profit organization founded in 1977 by Doris Freedman , a Director of New York City's Department of Cultural Affairs, and the President of the Municipal Art Society. They have organized highly visible artists' projects, new commissions, installations and exhibitions in...
, Finalist, New York NY
2009
- Commemorative Marker, Marlins Ballpark, Art in Public Places, Commissioned, Miami FL
- Column Illumination, Marlins Ballpark, Art in Public Places, Commissioned, Miami FL
- Marlins Ballpark, Art in Public Places, Finalist, Miami FL