If you've been following us here at My Modern Met, you already know about South Korean artist Do Ho Suh. He's the talented artist behind some pretty incredibe installations including one of our favorites called Floor where glass plates rest on thousands of miniature plastic figures. You may also remember a post back in January where we told you about his latest installation involving a house perched seven stories high at the University of California, San Diego's campus. Called Fallen Star, the work explores the notions of displacement, symbolically representing a “home” for the vast numbers of students who have left their own homes to come to the large institution.
Today, we're excited to announce that, seven years after the initial sketch, the artwork is now ready for visitors. On opening day, June 7, you can even meet the artist to talk to him about this impossibly amazing, site-specific work.
The 70,000 pound house, built from scratch, took one of America's largest cranes to lift it into place. It's fully furnished inside and even has an outdoor garden with a plum tree.
So what's it feel like stepping inside? From Lehmann Maupin: “Inside, people report awe – and vertigo. There are some amazing views of the campus, the Torrey Pines mesa all around. But then there's the fact that, except for the chandelier hanging straight from the ceiling (thanks to gravity), there isn't a single plumb line to the house. The floor of the artwork sits at a 5-degree angle from the flat roof of Jacobs Hall, while the house itself is built at a different 10-degree angle. Fallen Star conforms to California earthquake building codes and was built to withstand 100 mph winds. Its foundation is 18 inches thick, compared to the usual 4 inches. But people are perceptually tricked into feeling like they're falling. Some feel seasick or wobbly. It's disorienting.”
Starting tomorrow, Fallen Star will be open a few hours a week, as well as by appointment. Of course, for those of you who are getting a little queasy just looking at these photos, you can also just enjoy this artwork from afar.
Photos by Philipp Scholz Rittermann, Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York
