With an eye on the sky and roots in NYC and Upstate, Oculi art installation on Governors Island
24/07/2018.
[NYC] USA 23.06>10.2018
metalocus, JUDIT OTERO
metalocus, JUDIT OTERO
"Oculi", a temporary public art installation built using disused grain silos, will open to the public on Saturday, June 23 on Governors Island in New York City. This installation will be on view through October 2018.
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Taylor Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Taylor Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Taylor Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Taylor Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Tyler Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Aleksandr Mergold
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Aleksandr Mergold
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Aleksandr Mergold
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Aleksandr Mergold
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Jeff Gamble
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Jeff Gamble
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Jeff Gamble
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Jeff Gamble
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Tyler Newton
Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Photograph by Zachary Taylor Newton
Site plan. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Plan. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Plan. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawing. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Axonometric. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Axonometric. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Construction. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Colors. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Sky colors. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Grain bin pattent. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawing. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Model. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Grain bins. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Rendering. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Rendering. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Rendering. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
HIAC after Oculi. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Drawings. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Bins. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Shadows. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Shadows. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Bins. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
Aerial view. Oculi art installation on Governors Island. Courtesy by Cornell University
The winning entry to the City of Dreams Pavilion Competition, a design competition that promotes sustainability-oriented architecture, was created by Cornell University faculty, including assistant professor of architecture Aleksandr Mergold, associate professor of art Maria Park, professor of civil and environmental engineering Chris Earls, and visiting critic of architecture Scott Hughes.
The field of elevated oculi, made from 40-year-old metal grain bins procured from a farm in Delphos, Ohio, frames unobstructed view of the sky while tracking the path of the sun with a range of shadow patterns. The interior walls are painted with colors of the daytime sky, inviting viewers to wander below the structure to find a moment when the color of the paint and of the sky become one.
Artifacts of the American agroindustrial age, these bins have been repurposed in ways not unlike how medieval inhabitants of Rome reoccupied the remains of the Ancient Empire. The grain bin is our contemporary spolia — at once a resource for the future, a contemplation on the past, and a connection between urban and rural life.
Following the installation, the bins will be reconstructed as an experimental housing cluster in Central New York. There, an interior view into the bin will occasionally reveal a color of a New York City summer sky.
Named for the shape of the dominant material, “Oculi” is constructed from several circular metal grain bins that were procured from the Midwest. Brought to the city and installed over a week in late May, the bins establish a visual connection between urban and rural modes of living. A field of elevated "oculi" frame unobstructed views of the sky and track the path of the sun.
The annual City of Dreams competition is hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). “Oculi”'s opening is part of weekend-long, participatory arts event FIGMENT hosts on the island each year.
The “Oculi” project was the ideal fit for Austin+Mergold, a landscape and design practice that Mergold operates with Jason Austin, a Cornell alumnus.
"We had been thinking about metal grain bins for some time now, this 100-year old system," said Mergold. "A few years ago, we designed a low-cost housing unit that would use a metal grain bin, and we saw the opportunity in the City of Dreams competition to use the bins, connect upstate and downstate, and eventually continue the investigation on the housing unit again."
Mergold also sought out Earls in Cornell’s College of Engineering, recognizing that “Oculi” would be highly experimental from a structural standpoint as well. According to Earls, his work will "explore the space of engineering solutions and help conduct material and structural experimentation so as to uncover suitable forms that at once respect the architectural intent and function favorably at the site of installation on Governors Island."
The project was also an ideal fit for Park, whose work ranges from serially based paintings to sitespecific installations. At Park's suggestion, the inside of the silos are painted with subtle variations of the daytime sky color so that viewers might move from one to the next in anticipation of finding themselves under one that matched the color of a particular day or time.
"As the de/reconstructed grain bins mark awareness of a different time and place, the viewer's involvement with [the bins] also indicate a different kind of purpose or sense in movement," she said.
City of Dreams aims to promote sustainability-minded thinking in architecture and design and requires contestants to consider the environmental impact of their design from construction to demolition. Following the deinstallation of “Oculi” in late 2018, Austin+Mergold is looking for an environmentally responsible housing organization to partner with in reconstructing the bins as an experimental housing cluster in central New York.
The field of elevated oculi, made from 40-year-old metal grain bins procured from a farm in Delphos, Ohio, frames unobstructed view of the sky while tracking the path of the sun with a range of shadow patterns. The interior walls are painted with colors of the daytime sky, inviting viewers to wander below the structure to find a moment when the color of the paint and of the sky become one.
Artifacts of the American agroindustrial age, these bins have been repurposed in ways not unlike how medieval inhabitants of Rome reoccupied the remains of the Ancient Empire. The grain bin is our contemporary spolia — at once a resource for the future, a contemplation on the past, and a connection between urban and rural life.
Following the installation, the bins will be reconstructed as an experimental housing cluster in Central New York. There, an interior view into the bin will occasionally reveal a color of a New York City summer sky.
Named for the shape of the dominant material, “Oculi” is constructed from several circular metal grain bins that were procured from the Midwest. Brought to the city and installed over a week in late May, the bins establish a visual connection between urban and rural modes of living. A field of elevated "oculi" frame unobstructed views of the sky and track the path of the sun.
The annual City of Dreams competition is hosted by FIGMENT, the Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) of the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter (AIANY), and the Structural Engineers Association of New York (SEAoNY). “Oculi”'s opening is part of weekend-long, participatory arts event FIGMENT hosts on the island each year.
The “Oculi” project was the ideal fit for Austin+Mergold, a landscape and design practice that Mergold operates with Jason Austin, a Cornell alumnus.
"We had been thinking about metal grain bins for some time now, this 100-year old system," said Mergold. "A few years ago, we designed a low-cost housing unit that would use a metal grain bin, and we saw the opportunity in the City of Dreams competition to use the bins, connect upstate and downstate, and eventually continue the investigation on the housing unit again."
Mergold also sought out Earls in Cornell’s College of Engineering, recognizing that “Oculi” would be highly experimental from a structural standpoint as well. According to Earls, his work will "explore the space of engineering solutions and help conduct material and structural experimentation so as to uncover suitable forms that at once respect the architectural intent and function favorably at the site of installation on Governors Island."
The project was also an ideal fit for Park, whose work ranges from serially based paintings to sitespecific installations. At Park's suggestion, the inside of the silos are painted with subtle variations of the daytime sky color so that viewers might move from one to the next in anticipation of finding themselves under one that matched the color of a particular day or time.
"As the de/reconstructed grain bins mark awareness of a different time and place, the viewer's involvement with [the bins] also indicate a different kind of purpose or sense in movement," she said.
City of Dreams aims to promote sustainability-minded thinking in architecture and design and requires contestants to consider the environmental impact of their design from construction to demolition. Following the deinstallation of “Oculi” in late 2018, Austin+Mergold is looking for an environmentally responsible housing organization to partner with in reconstructing the bins as an experimental housing cluster in central New York.
More information
Dates and Venue
23 jun>Oct.2018. Governors Island, New York City. USA
Management
David Koren, FIGMENT. Josette Matthew, Assoc. AIA, ENYA. Jessica Sheridan, AIA, AIANY. Ryan Miller, SEAoNY
Design Team
Aleksandr Mergold, AIA. Austin+Mergold LLC, Cornell ARCH. Maria Park, Cornell ART. Christopher Earls, Cornell CEE. Scott Hughes, Silman, Cornell AAP NYC. Jason Austin, Austin+Mergold LLC
Cornell University student assistants
Curtis Ho, Kate Huffman, Eric Lee, Libby Rosa, Anna Warfield, Emma Boudreau,
Sarah Bujnowski, Isabel Branas, Vaharan Elavia, Ami Kurosaki, Jason Lin, Xiaoxue Ma, Hafsa Muhammad, Sasson Rafailov, Jiacheng Xu
Organizations & Companies
FIGMENT. Trust for Governors Island. AIA New York Chapter, ENYA
SEAoNY. Cornell University. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future. College of Architecture, Art and Planning. Department of Art. Department of Architecture. College of Engineering. School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Atkore International / Unistrut. Silman
Construction
Glenn Miller, Miller-Tilling. Ben Malone, Miller-Tilling. Bill Haines, Haines Construction
Special thanks
Boris Ravvin, Architect. Chris Morse, Cornell M’Arch’17. Jeff Gamble, Advanced Grain Systems. Robert Page, Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics. Melinda Stelick, Cornell AAP Business Office. Steve Elsdon, Unistrut / Atkore International
Jason Austin, Aleksandr Mergold. Austin + Mergold
Jason Austin received his professional degree in Architecture from Cornell University, where he was awarded a Charles Goodwin Sands Memorial Silver Medal for his undergraduate thesis. He also attended University of Pennsylvania and received his Masters of Landscape Architecture.
Professional design and construction experiences include the offices of SOM in New York, Atkin Olshin Schade Architects in Philadelphia and development company Letterman Inc in Carlisle, PA.
Professional design and construction experiences include the offices of SOM in New York, Atkin Olshin Schade Architects in Philadelphia and development company Letterman Inc in Carlisle, PA.
Jason is an assistant professor at Drexel University's Department of Architecture, having previously been adjunct faculty member at the Landscape Architecture Department at University of Pennsylvania (Penn Design) and the Tyler School Department of Architecture at Temple University, and a guest design critic at Cornell and Lehigh Universities.
With Aleksandr Mergold, he co-founded Austin + Mergold in 2007 to pursue residential, commercial, landscape and urban design projects. Jasion Austin is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Coming from a family with two generations of architects, Aleksandr Mergold graduated from Princeton (M'ArchII) and Cornell University (B'Arch), receiving the NY chapter AIA and the Charles Goodwin Sands medals.
After working for several large architecture firms (Perkins Eastman Architects, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects) he joined the office of Pentagram in New York where he spent six years as senior architect, working on a variety of architectural and design projects. Since 2006 Aleksandr has been teaching at Parsons the New School for Design; in 2007 he was visiting faculty at Listaháskóli Íslands / Iceland Academy of the Arts; and was visiting assistant professor of architecture and a lecturer in Design & Environmental Analysis at Cornell. Currently Aleksandr is an assistant professor at Cornell's Department of Architecture.
In 2007 Aleksandr Mergold along with Jason Austin established architecture and landscape design practice, Austin + Mergold. Aleksandr Mergold is a member of the American Institute of Architects, American Institute of Graphic Arts and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
With Aleksandr Mergold, he co-founded Austin + Mergold in 2007 to pursue residential, commercial, landscape and urban design projects. Jasion Austin is a LEED Accredited Professional.
Coming from a family with two generations of architects, Aleksandr Mergold graduated from Princeton (M'ArchII) and Cornell University (B'Arch), receiving the NY chapter AIA and the Charles Goodwin Sands medals.
After working for several large architecture firms (Perkins Eastman Architects, Swanke Hayden Connell Architects) he joined the office of Pentagram in New York where he spent six years as senior architect, working on a variety of architectural and design projects. Since 2006 Aleksandr has been teaching at Parsons the New School for Design; in 2007 he was visiting faculty at Listaháskóli Íslands / Iceland Academy of the Arts; and was visiting assistant professor of architecture and a lecturer in Design & Environmental Analysis at Cornell. Currently Aleksandr is an assistant professor at Cornell's Department of Architecture.
In 2007 Aleksandr Mergold along with Jason Austin established architecture and landscape design practice, Austin + Mergold. Aleksandr Mergold is a member of the American Institute of Architects, American Institute of Graphic Arts and is a LEED Accredited Professional.
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