2017 24 Aug to 31 Aug
Formafantasma Window to Columbus, Exhibit Columbus
Eliel Saarinen’s First Christian Church, Robert Venturi’s white-glazed-brick Fire Station 4 and Paul Kennon’s Streetscape project are just a few examples of the terra-cotta brick’s prominence in the architecture and civic planning of Columbus, Indiana. Inspired by this brick legacy, Formafantasma and Dzek have developed a volcanic-ash-glazed brick as the primary building block for our installation. The Amsterdam-based Italian studio Formafantasma has been involved with volcanic materials since 2013, and in recent years has been working with us to investigate the architectural potential of volcanic ash. Window to Columbus is a wall of volcanic-glazed bricks with an inset window. This window reveals a mini-museum hosting a series of six exhibitions, rotating fortnightly, telling stories about the materials that have helped to define Washington Street and the architecture of Columbus at large. The exhibitions are co-curated by Formafantasma and Tricia Gilson of Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives. Their content will appear on these pages as well as on our Instagram page as they are released. This exhibition also represents the first public presentation of our research with Formafantasma into volcanic matter and its relevance in the manufacture of architectural materials. The wall will be composed entirely from our first four pilot productions of bricks glazed with Mount Etna volcanic ash, clay and salt. Window to Columbus was originally scheduled for temporary exhibition between August to November 2017. We are pleased to announce that this installation was permanently acquired in 2018 and will remain on the historic site of the Heritage Community Foundation of Columbus.