Spy makes visitors feel the change in scale produced by these industrial objects, originally conceived as containment structures for global transport and trade. Now, their monumentality reshapes the everyday view of this public space, generating a striking transformation that goes beyond a reference and guide for the festival's participants.
"Spy subverts the original identity of the containers through an installation that transforms the utilitarian into the mythological, in an exercise in spatial perception that invites reflection on the cult of consumption in modern society."
The street ceases to be a simple transit space to become a ritual corridor guarded by the gold-coated containers, which are much more than a mere decorative gesture. "This treatment transforms their industrial purpose into an artistic redefinition that oscillates between the functional and the symbolic."
Golden Monoliths by SpY. Photogrpah by Rubén P. Bescós.
Project description by SpY
SpY's Golden Monoliths transform the urban landscape of the French city of Lille through the installation of fourteen golden shipping containers in a vertical position, aligned along its main street.
This monumental intervention reconfigures the everyday perception of the public environment, turning industrial objects into totemic symbols that alter our understanding of space.
The street ceases to be a simple transit space and becomes a ritual corridor, a passageway between monolithic columns that challenge the spectator to confront them. Passers-by, now active participants, find themselves immersed in a dialogue with these imposing volumes, which symbolise an era marked by circulation and commerce.
Originally conceived as utilitarian structures for global transportation and trade, the containers are decontextualised and coated in gold.
Far from being a decorative gesture, this treatment converts their industrial purpose into an artistic resignification that oscillates between the functional and the symbolic.
SpY subverts the original identity of the containers through an installation that transforms the utilitarian into the mythological, in an exercise in spatial perception that invites reflection on the cult of consumption in modern society.
