(e)merge

I arrived in DC yesterday afternoon and took the shuttle straight to the Capitol Skyline hotel, the site of (e)merge art fair. I was to meet Ekaterina (Kate) Arslambakova, an FSU alumnus, who was going to assist me with the installation of Build:Column, my 14' column of bricks constructed from acrylic paint and canvas. The idea was that the column would burst through the drop ceiling of the exhibition hall reaching to the concrete ceiling above, giving the illusion of endlessness and power.

The bricks of the column, each about 7-8 pounds and 11x14x9",  simply stack without anchors, relying on the floor and ceiling to wedge them in place. The exhibition room has a carpeted floor, which presented a wobbly support to begin with, but I thought I'd overcome it once I reached the concrete ceiling. However, once the tiles were removed, I found pipes going at odd horizontal angles, leaving it impossible to use the ceiling as a wedge.

The upshot is that we had to move the column to a site where we could use the beam from a moveable wall as the upper wedge. The column doesn't burst through the ceiling, but its crooked verticality and height are impressive anyway. I was satisfied with the result and I think the exhibition coordinators were too. The other artists are still installing, so I'll post new photos once the room is complete.

  

 Kate helping with the first try.

Ceiling with obstructive pipes

Second location, reaching up towards that beam

Top is cut off in this shot, but nice photo of Kate.