Studio Drift’s “Materialism” at Frieze Art Fair, LA
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Amsterdam-based Studio Drift showcased its “Materialism” project at the inaugural Frieze Art Fair in Los Angeles (LA), which took place from February 15 to 17, 2019. For the project, Studio Drift “de-produced” everyday products, such as a vacuum cleanStudio Drift’s “Materialism” at Frieze Art Fair, LA
Amsterdam-based Studio Drift showcased its “Materialism” project at the inaugural Frieze Art Fair in Los Angeles (LA), which took place from February 15 to 17, 2019. For the project, Studio Drift “de-produced” everyday products, such as a vacuum cleaner, a Volkswagen Beetle, a pencil, or a PET bottle, reducing them to the exact quantity of the specific raw materials from which they are made. These were then shown in the form of rectangular blocks.“Materialism” confronts the viewer on a very elementary level with the things that surround them and the materials that comprise these objects. The work calls for contemplation on how we deal with the raw materials at our disposal. The deconstructed man-made items highlight the amount of natural resources and effort that is involved in their extraction and manufacturing — a matter Studio Drift believes is typically taken for granted. “Materialism” was initiated by Studio Drift last year and shown during its first major retrospective at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam. For the Frieze Art Fair in LA, Pace Gallery chose an edited selection of the project, marking “Materialism's” US debut.Talking about the project, Studio Drift said, “ For “Materialism” we ‘de-produce’ the produced, deconstructing familiar things about which we tend only to consider their function. We make clear how much of the matter within these objects is extracted from the earth. In the process, we reversed the mandates of engineering required for mass production, which are standardization, modularization, and abstraction. We essentially created uniqueness, unity, and ‘de-abstraction’ in the form of simple geometric blocks. These blocks of varied, pure color make visual rhymes with the earliest works of Abstract art, such as the paintings of Kazimir Malevich, Hilma af Klint, and Piet Mondrian. And, although the goal of ‘de-abstraction’ may sound opposed to the work of these 20th-century artists, the purpose of their work and of ‘Materialism’ is actually aligned — to make the essential nature of the world visible.”The objects on show at the Frieze included a bicycle presented as chunks of rubber, polyurethane, steel, aluminum, and lacquer paint, among many others. A pencil was displayed as a simple trio of wood, graphite, and paint, while other products included an LED light, electrical cable, and a light bulb.During the project, Studio Drift was surprised to discover the huge volumes of plastic and copper that were being used to manufacture ubiquitous products like a single meter of electrical cable. Contemplating on their research findings, the studio said, “If humankind could somehow perceive this connection to materials, to our collective consumption, and the earth it impoverishes, it would be a leap in our social evolution, in building an awareness that we must somehow become better stewards of our future.”Studio Drift was founded by Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Naut in Amsterdam in 2007 after the duo graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven. Since then, they have produced projects that explore relationships between nature, technology, and man.Frieze Art Fair was established in London, and takes place each October in the city. It first came to the US in 2012, with a temporary structure in New York designed by Brooklyn studio SO-IL, and now holds events every May. This year it launched its Los Angeles edition. https://www.blouinartinfo.com/ Founder: Louise Blouin Read more