joris laarman bits and crafts: a digital fabrication exhibition at friedman benda

Multimedia artist Daniel Arsham, based in New York, lives with his family in a 1969 modernist home on Long Island designed by Norman Jaffe. Arsham's house, which he describes as "all cedar and stone," served as the inspiration for a collection of furniture pieces he initially had no intention of exhibiting. However, upon seeing these creations, Marc Benda, co-founder of Friedman Benda, recognized their potential and suggested showcasing them to the public, offering a glimpse into another facet of Arsham's artistic practice. This collaboration resulted in an installation for this year's Design Miami, where Friedman Benda presents these sculptural explorations within a fictional domestic setting, partly conceptualized as a kunstkammer. Arsham explains that the furniture pieces often incorporate shapes that deliberately contrast with the rigid lines of his modernist home. He notes that Jaffe, the architect, later introduced curves into his designs, moving away from the more angular, modernist approach of his earlier career. The furniture created by Arsham, therefore, serves as a direct counterpoint to the house's original architectural style. Notable pieces include Arsham’s Cleveland Chair I, Paris Chaise Lounge I, and Shanghai Chair. The Shanghai Chair aligns with Arsham's signature achromatic aesthetic, characteristic of his fossilized future relics. In contrast, the Cleveland Chair I and Paris Chaise Lounge I introduce a fresh formal and tonal vocabulary to his work. Many of these furniture items are crafted from canvases previously used in Arsham's studio, which are dyed in various colors. Arsham often draws notes directly onto his sculptures to indicate where erosion will be applied, and he has chosen to integrate these drawings onto the furniture objects. This creates the impression that these pieces are destined to be transformed into future sculptural cast works. The artist's Long Island environment further influences the objects displayed at Friedman Benda’s Design Miami booth. For example, Arsham’s Pasadena Sea Glass Lamp blends his concept of fictional archaeology with technological allusions, drawing from his ongoing project at NASA JPL in Pasadena. Arsham describes how finding sea glass, including fragments of text from bottles, on the beach near his home inspired this lamp. He envisioned a scenario where glass shards and components from a large piece of NASA machinery or spacecraft would eventually land and become tumbled into this object, resembling a polished piece of glass from the future. The exhibition highlights a unique dialogue between Arsham's personal living space and his artistic output, demonstrating how his domestic environment directly shapes his creative process and the forms his work takes. It offers a deeper understanding of the artist's engagement with material, form, and the interplay between past, present, and imagined futures, all through the lens of a domestic installation that blurs the lines between art, design, and personal narrative. The installation provides an opportunity for the public to experience a more intimate and unexpected dimension of Arsham’s multifaceted artistic journey, revealing the profound influence of his private residence on his public artistic statements. #DanielArsham #ModernistHome #NormanJaffe #DesignMiami #FriedmanBenda #SculpturalFurniture #DomesticInstallation #FictionalArchaeology #ArtAndDesign

Netjets, a private jet airline, has maintained a 16-year partnership with Art Basel, consistently unveiling collaborative projects at the fair. This year's iteration featured a bespoke installation by Swedish artist Frida Fjellman within the Netjets collectors' lounge. Fjellman's contribution, titled 'Crystal Atmosphere,' brought a new spatial interpretation to her signature blown glass lanterns. These lanterns, first showcased in a solo exhibition in 2015, have since evolved into various colors and sizes, all retaining their distinctive mouth-blown glass and metal components. They are presented both as individual pieces and as elaborate chandelier-like clusters. Fjellman's artistic journey with these lanterns involved a two-year development period in collaboration with The Glass Factory, an art glass producer situated in Boda, a small village nestled within Sweden's forests. The artist initially conceived these lamps not for traditional beauty or utility, but to evoke the impression of exaggerated, somewhat unconventional jewelry—beautiful yet intriguing. The unexpected popularity of these pieces has been a point of interest for Fjellman. The lanterns gained significant attention when they were displayed at Design Miami/ in 2016 as part of a large-scale installation by Hostler Burrows. This exposure captured Netjets' interest, leading to the current collaboration. For the Art Basel lounge, Fjellman was granted complete creative freedom. Over a period of four months, she developed her largest installation of these works to date, comprising 100 lanterns in a spectrum of shades and sizes. This project also involved the creation of a new large-scale piece that pushed existing production boundaries. The installation within the lounge featured the lanterns suspended from the ceiling in color-coordinated clusters. The lighting of these pieces was designed to be discreet, with lights slowly fading in and out, mimicking a breathing pulse. Fjellman's stated intention for the 'Crystal Atmosphere' installation was to cultivate a serene environment, providing a calming respite from the often-hectic atmosphere of the art fair. 'Crystal Atmosphere' underscores Netjets' ongoing commitment to the arts. Previous artistic collaborations by the private aviation company include projects with the art/design duo Snarkitecture and British artist Rebecca Louise Law. Fjellman reflected on the inspiration behind her installation, noting her interest in the almost magical sense of tranquility experienced during flight above the clouds, likening it to a rare oasis of calm in an increasingly hyper-connected digital world. #ArtBasel #Netjets #FridaFjellman #InstallationArt #BlownGlass #DesignMiami #CrystalAtmosphere #ContemporaryArt #ArtCollaboration

This article features an interview with Daniel Arsham, a Miami-raised, New York-based artist known for his large-scale installations that manipulate perceptions of space and architecture. Arsham's artistic journey began at Cooper Union, where he met architect Alex Mustonen, leading to the formation of Snarkitecture in 2008. Snarkitecture is a collaborative practice that blends art and architecture, recognized for its inflated scale and monochrome aesthetics, with projects including KITH boutiques and flagship stores for brands like Valextra and COS. Alongside Snarkitecture, Arsham maintains an individual art practice focused on structural experiments, often featuring crumbling walls and decaying cultural artifacts, challenging conventional architectural norms. Arsham's 2018 solo exhibition, “3018,” at Galerie Perrotin in New York, showcased pop culture icons, such as the Delorean from *Back to the Future* and the Ferrari from *Ferris Bueller’s Day Off*, rendered in materials like crystal, volcanic ash, pyrite crystal, selenite, and quartz, appearing where mechanical components would typically be. These works illustrate his exploration of a dystopian future where contemporary culture undergoes erosion. The year 2018 was particularly eventful for Arsham, encompassing “3018,” Snarkitecture’s retrospective “Fun House” at the National Building Museum, the release of Snarkitecture’s monograph, his own upcoming book through Rizzoli, and an exclusive sneaker design for Adidas. In the interview, Arsham discusses how his upbringing in Miami, a city built on a swamp with a fabricated sense of fantasy, influenced his artistic sensibilities. He elaborates on his fictional archaeological works, which involve degrading contemporary objects to appear ancient, emphasizing the importance of materials in conveying his concepts, such as using crystal to suggest a geological timeframe. Arsham reflects on 2018 as a year of introspection, with his Rizzoli book covering two decades of his work, tracing back to his thesis exhibition at Cooper Union, where he first used architecture as a medium for manipulation to create unsettling, uncanny spaces. He identifies stage design, particularly his work with choreographer Merce Cunningham, as one of his most exciting and challenging commissions. This experience, despite his lack of formal training in dance or theater, profoundly impacted his practice by teaching him to translate sculptural methods to a stage environment with fixed audiences and crucial lighting. The discussion also delves into the origins of Snarkitecture, which arose from Arsham's need for architectural expertise to execute larger-scale public art pieces, leading to a partnership with Alex Mustonen. Their collaboration thrives on the interplay between Arsham's chaotic, experimental artistic approach and Mustonen's ordered, precise architectural background, embodying an ethos that balances precision with chaos. Arsham shares a key business lesson: recognizing failure as a vital tool for learning and avoiding repetition. He cites Hurricane Andrew's devastation of his Miami home 24 years prior as a pivotal experience that shaped his understanding of architecture in flux, decay, and rebuilding, significantly influencing both his personal art and Snarkitecture's work. Ultimately, Arsham finds the best aspect of his profession to be the freedom inherent in not having a conventional "job." #DanielArsham #Snarkitecture #ArtAndArchitecture #ContemporaryArt #Sculpture #ArchitecturalInstallation #Exhibition #Materiality #DesignProcess #CollaborativePractice

The traveling exhibition platform Object & Thing is currently showcasing its latest iteration, 'A Summer Arrangement: Object & Thing at LongHouse,' at LongHouse in East Hampton. LongHouse is the former home and sculpture garden of the renowned textile designer John Lenor Larsen. The exhibition, co-curated by Object & Thing founder Abby Bangser and LongHouse curator-at-large Glenn Adamson, and featuring installation design by Colin King, runs until September 3, 2023. It occupies the summer living room, gallery, and guest level of the residence. The exhibition is inspired by Larsen's philosophy of integrating art into everyday living spaces, believing it makes art more relevant than in a traditional museum setting. Larsen, influenced by the 7th-century Shinto shrine at Ise, Japan, collaborated with architect Charles Forberg to complete LongHouse in 1992. As an avid collector, Larsen filled his home with a diverse array of objects from around the world, arranging them alongside simple, local items, creating a unique and personal aesthetic. Following his passing in 2020, LongHouse was bequeathed as a public space, encouraging artistic collaboration and organic evolution. 'A Summer Arrangement' adopts Larsen's non-hierarchical approach to objects, presenting a collection of contemporary art and design pieces, including several site-specific commissions. The featured works are crafted from materials that Larsen himself frequently utilized and collected, such as ceramic, fiber, glass, metal, and wood. The exhibition includes works by textile artist Megumi Shauna Arai, sculptures by Wyatt Kahn and Alma Allen, and ceramics by Frances Palmer. These contemporary pieces are displayed alongside Larsen’s personal collection of Wharton Esherick furniture, notably a dining table that was showcased at the 1939 World’s Fair, adding historical depth and context to the evocative setting. Glenn Adamson notes that Larsen was a master of subtle arrangement, constantly recontextualizing the objects in his collection. He states that this project continues Larsen's practice by exploring what the designer might be interested in collecting and displaying if he were still alive today. The exhibition serves as a tribute to Larsen's enduring legacy and his innovative approach to design and art display. Admission to LongHouse is $20, with discounts for seniors and guests with disabilities, and complimentary entry for children, students, veterans, and active personnel. #LongHouse #ObjectAndThing #Exhibition #JohnLenorLarsen #DesignExhibition #EastHampton #ContemporaryArt #TextileDesign #ArtAndDesign

Lighting designer Lindsey Adelman premiered her new installation, titled 'Show Me,' at Wright gallery on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The exhibition's opening night featured a music video, also titled 'Show Me,' which was projected in a darkened room. The video showcased a performance by a group of 16 dancers, with the music composed by Leo Madriz. Notably, the cast of the music video, including the dancers and lead vocalist Laura Young, were members of Adelman's studio or former colleagues. Young, Adelman's former director of operations, served as the lead vocalist, and the choreography demonstrated a blend of professional execution and playful enjoyment. The 'Show Me' music video intricately integrated pieces from Adelman's latest collection, which features a distinctive aesthetic. The collection includes punk-inflected jewelry, such as fringed, gold ear cuffs and leather bracelets adorned with gold quills. Gilded mirrors embellished with patterns resembling mushroom gills are also part of the new works. Additionally, luminaries reminiscent of Adelman's 'Cherry Bomb' fixtures are present, all contributing to a unique gothic sensibility infused with elements akin to 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.' These new pieces, alongside a striking five-foot-long gold candelabrum, were strategically placed to establish a dark-romantic and alluring atmosphere within the gallery space. Adelman established her studio in 2006, initially gaining recognition for her 'Branching Bubble' chandelier. Since then, her business has expanded significantly, incorporating a wider array of lighting fixtures and a diverse range of home objects. Adelman views her foray into various mediums beyond lighting as a natural evolution of her studio's creative trajectory and an opportunity to explore new avenues for enjoyment. She emphasizes that her decision to create a music video for the exhibition was not a sudden concept but rather an organic expression of her inherent interests, allowing her to integrate her personal passions with her daily professional endeavors. This approach underscores her belief in the fluidity between artistic exploration and business growth. The exhibition 'Show Me' will be open for public viewing at the Wright gallery, located at the Parke-Bernet Building, 980 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10075, until August 1st. The show provides a comprehensive look at Adelman's expanded creative vision, demonstrating her capacity to merge industrial design with artistic performance and personal expression. This presentation not only highlights her new collection but also offers insight into the collaborative and innovative spirit that defines her studio's work. #LindseyAdelman #WrightGallery #LightingDesign #ArtInstallation #MusicVideo #NewYorkArt #DesignExhibition #HomeDecor #GothicSensibility

A new exhibition titled 'Exhibition in Rennes: Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec' showcases the extensive work of French design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec in their home region of Brittany for the first time. The exhibition is split across three venues: Les Champs Libres, the Frac Bretange contemporary art museum, and Le parlement de Bretagne, and is conceptually divided into two main parts. The first part is a 20-year retrospective focusing on the brothers' industrial design projects. This segment features collaborations with prominent design manufacturers such as Alessi, Magis, Kvadrat, Vitra, Artek, and Samsung. Notable inclusions are their furniture and domestic items, alongside an array of archival materials. These materials provide insight into their design process, including development notebooks and scale models, offering a comprehensive look at their evolution in industrial design. One such collaboration highlighted is the 'Serif' TV with Samsung, which received the Wallpaper* award for 'Best Domestic Design'. The second part of the exhibition, titled 'Urban Reveries' and installed at Les Champs Libres, delves into the duo's foray into municipal landscape design. This section presents a collection of dioramic architectural models that envision new public spaces. These models depict unique urban patterns, including rocky outcrops, elevated sculptural streams, and meticulously designed gardens, reflecting what the studio describes as 'a wandering or urban dreaming based on a reflection of the city layout'. The exhibit aims to explore innovative approaches to public urban environments. Further installations include 'Le Kiosque' from 2015, positioned in the parliament courtyard. This modular structure, constructed from powder-coated steel with an oak interior and an overhanging roof, first appeared in Paris' Tuileries. Conceived as a movable tool to integrate art into public spaces, in Rennes, it is paired with 'Palissade', a collection of outdoor furniture developed in collaboration with Hay. The exhibition also features '17 Screens', an abstract display that explores the convergence of 3D printing with traditional production methods. Previously exhibited at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, this installation showcases futuristic constructions utilizing diverse materials such as glass, ceramic, wood, and aluminium rods. It also incorporates curtains made from cup-like mouldings by ceramics innovator Mutina and patterned textiles. This segment is characterized as an experimental and atmospheric exploration, blurring the lines between design and art. Overall, the exhibition is presented as a carefully curated blend of their established works and new, more experimental directions. It offers an opportunity to re-evaluate the Bouroullecs' classic designs while also providing glimpses into their evolving artistic and design philosophies. The show aims to offer visitors a comprehensive understanding of the duo's influential and multifaceted practice. #BouroullecBrothers #DesignExhibition #IndustrialDesign #UrbanPlanning #ContemporaryArt #FurnitureDesign #ArchitecturalModels #PublicSpaceDesign #3DPrinting #RennesExhibition

German artist Thorsten Brinkmann has embarked on his largest private art piece, transforming a dilapidated 1912 family home in Pittsburgh's Troy Hill neighborhood into a permanent art installation called 'La Hütte Royal.' The house was acquired in 2011 by local art collector Evan Mirapaul, who was inspired by the Art House Project on Naoshimi Island in Japan, where artists revitalize abandoned properties. Mirapaul invited Brinkmann to reimagine the neglected structure, which outwardly appears as a typical suburban house, to challenge perceptions of what lies within such unassuming facades. Brinkmann's vision has resulted in a complete overhaul of every room across the three main stories, including the basement where he installed a boxing ring. Visitors entering La Hütte Royal are immediately confronted by an enormous bell, a salvaged prop from a children's television show, setting the tone for the eccentric experience. The artist has ingeniously manipulated the house's internal structure by introducing new walls, creating intentionally narrow corridors and unexpected, unsettling nooks and crannies that disorient and engage visitors in a spatial puzzle. A central theme of 'La Hütte Royal' is creative reuse, with Brinkmann incorporating a vast array of found objects into his installation. Many of these items were discovered within the house itself or sourced from the local neighborhood, including old vinyl LPs. These salvaged materials are integrated into various artistic statements throughout the house, offering a narrative rooted in the property's history and surroundings. For instance, a home theatre located in the attic features vintage beauty parlor hairdryer stations meticulously arranged in neat rows, transforming functional items into a quirky display. Mirapaul emphasizes the contrast between the house's ordinary exterior and the imaginative world within, hoping the project will inspire viewers to consider the elaborate lives and stories that can be hidden behind conventional appearances. Brinkmann's use of materials found on-site or nearby makes the transformation deeply personal and poignant, highlighting a connection to the specific locality of Pittsburgh. He views 'La Hütte Royal' as a Gesamtkunstwerk, a total work of art, where his varied artistic practices—installations, photographs, sculptures, and videos—converge and where the boundaries between life and art dissolve. The installation includes specific artistic elements such as the artist's photographs and custom-designed wallpaper in the front foyer. One hallway features a dizzying wallpaper pattern that visitors must crawl through to access hidden rooms, further enhancing the interactive and immersive experience. Sculptures in the basement are crafted from found objects within the house, combined with Brinkmann’s own sculpted body parts, adding a surreal and personal touch. Another room is elaborately decorated with LPs and found objects, interspersed with Brinkmann’s sculpted ears and photographs, illustrating his distinctive artistic language. The whimsical boxing ring in the basement, complete with the artist's sculpted hands, was created in response to dilapidated fitness equipment found in the house, showcasing his ability to transform mundane objects into art. Vintage movie posters found in the house also line a hallway, contributing to the layered narrative of discovery and reinterpretation. 'La Hütte Royal' is located at 1812 Rialtostreet, 15212 Pittsburgh, inviting the public to explore this unique blend of art, architecture, and personal history. #ArtInstallation #ThorstenBrinkmann #LaHütteRoyal #PittsburghArt #FoundObjects #CreativeReuse #Gesamtkunstwerk #ExperientialArt #ArchitecturalTransformation

This article explores the immersive and unconventional art installations of New York-born, Los Angeles-based artist Tita Cicognani, focusing on her use of hot tubs as central elements in her multimedia works. The artist’s practice, which largely involves sculpture and assemblage, took a unique turn with the integration of hot tubs, driven by a desire for physical interaction and shared experiences, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. Her works contrast with the trend of “dematerializing practice” in the art world, instead embracing the tactile and communal. The piece begins by describing Cicognani’s current installation, "Heart Tub" (2022), at the Hammer Museum, where visitors can reserve 45-minute slots to soak in a heart-shaped, red crocodile-skin vinyl hot tub. This installation is designed to evoke a sense of "tackiness" and "religious frenzy," adorned with embedded video screens displaying floating holograms of flying saucers and bubbly hearts. The artist explains that this first tub was created during the initial COVID-19 lockdown, stemming from feelings of isolation and a craving for physical connection. The article then details Cicognani's earlier hot tub installations. "Mothership" (2021) was an inflatable pool designed as a "tiny wet fun house," featuring mirrors, LED lights, and a disco ball, reminiscent of a Gravitron ride. This work explored the convergence of religious and corporeal ecstasy. Another significant piece, "Prayer Cards" (2019), involved devotional cards featuring the artist's image in poses suggesting stigmata or submission, printed with the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, challenging conventional notions of piety with pop culture aesthetics. Her second tub installation, "Grotto Tub" (2022), presented a more visceral experience. Located in an artist-run space in Chinatown, it encouraged a more uninhibited, almost chaotic interaction, with PVC pipes emitting a brown goo and accompanying videos of mud wrestling. This installation, playfully dubbed “art student soup” by a Hammer Museum curator, highlighted a deliberate embrace of the earthy and raw aspects of human interaction. The transition to the Hammer Museum for "Heart Tub" introduced new logistical challenges, including safety protocols, scheduled time slots, and ADA compliance, leading to elements like a chrome heart-shaped handrail. The article also delves into the video component of "Heart Tub," titled "I Still Believe" (2022). This 40-minute looping video, viewed from within the tub, features a green-skinned CGI avatar of the artist navigating a cheap motel with a heart-shaped tub, encountering UFOs, and immaculately conceiving an alien progeny. The narrative explores themes of desire, beauty, and love, drawing heavily from pop music and shiny aesthetics, elements Cicognani previously resisted but has now embraced. The work also has intellectual underpinnings, drawing parallels to other water-based art installations like Hélio Oiticica and Neville D’Almeida’s “CC4 Nocagions” (1973). Finally, the artist discusses the socio-economic implications of embracing "tacky" aesthetics and the interplay between high art theory and pop culture references, such as the film "Hot Tub Time Machine." The experience concludes with the writer reflecting on the custom-made pea-green towels, embroidered with an alien baby and the words "I still believe," which serve as a tangible takeaway from the immersive art experience. This installation, and Cicognani's broader body of work, actively seeks to engage the body and challenge traditional art consumption by bringing viewers directly into the art. #ArtInstallation #MultimediaArt #ContemporaryArt #HammerMuseum #ImmersiveExperience #Sculpture #PopCulture #ConceptualArt