The wall as an element consistently exhibits a bipolar/dual quality in any situation or scenario in which it is erected. Historically they are erected to divide a group of people from another group, and in turn ensures more unity amongst the people within each individual group. They are made to keep people out and restrict their choice, but ironically end up restricting the choice of the people kept within as well.
Walls in themselves can be a form of display, and can also be a medium for display of art, symbols and stories. The two sides of the same wall can conceal certain things, yet reveal others. Historically, they have been built to last, a symbol of permanence and fortitude, but perhaps it may be that its temporal qualities are waiting to be exploited. The wall plays an important yet subdued role in the narrative of our collective history, and will continue to do so in our future.
TWO SIDES OF THE SAME WALL
A competition entry for an installation design held by CODE.
The purpose was for an art exhibition titled The Wall, being held in Bologna, Italy, exploring the history and role of the wall in society.
Location: Bologna, Italy
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Scale: Installation
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Year: 2017
What is a wall? What is its history, its symbolism and its phenomenology? What does it mean to the state, to the domestic, to the individual? What do walls mean to you?
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Maybe the mention of walls today immediately make you think of one particularly infamous figure in global politics. Or maybe you’ll think of a war/conflict/occupation that has lasted over 50 years in the Middle East. Or maybe you’ll think introspectively of the walls you’re constantly to break down in your mind.
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“Two Sides of the Same Wall” explores the bipolarity of The Wall through a physical manifestation which references its position in human history and society.
Conceptually, the installation explores how we often treat walls as latent objects and how we would perceive it if it were an active mediator. It is bold, confident and invites the public to engage with it and with each other. The wall is interactive - it is alive.
Physically, it alludes to the famous porticos which line Bologna’s streets, in the form of the steel frame structure. It captures the rhythm of Bologna's deep architectural traditions. The city’s rich history in the silk industry is abstracted using corrugated tubes as individual, long fibers which are bound together by silkworms to form their cocoon. Not only does this symbolize strength and unity, but also sensitively implies that our collective history are kept within the “Two Sides of the Same Wall”.
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