Exhibition by Studio Swine Opens at A/D/O

Josh Gold -
N e w   Y o r k,  U S A - 

Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves

Wave. Particle. Duplex. is an investigation of the invisible elements that shape our enviornment and how modern technology is used to give them physical form.

A/D/O, the creative space in Greenpoint, Brooklyn by MINI dedicated to exploring the future of design, is pleased to announce Wave. Particle. Duplex. a new immersive, site-specific exhibition of work by Studio Swine, opening to the public Thursday, January 17, 2019.

Helmed by Japanese architect Azusa Murakami and British artist Alexander Groves, Studio Swine is the third participant in A/D/O’s Designer in Residence program, which offers professional designers the tools and opportunity to expand the boundaries of their practice. For six months, Brooklyn became Studio Swine’s home, inspiring a wealth of research and creative exploration, culminating in a final exhibition created exclusively for A/D/O.

“In our earlier works, we were really interested in exploring the idea of locale and the sense of place we could create with certain objects or narratives. Recently, we’ve been focusing on works that are more experiential, with a specific focus on the relationship between nature and technology. During our residency at A/D/O, we decided to translate this idea to new works built with nature’s ephemeral materials,” says Studio Swine.

Image courtesy of A/D/O

Inspired by New York City’s shifting environmental elements, Studio Swine conceived two new bodies of work: Dawn Particles and Fog Paintings. Born from the the studio’s long-standing exploration and obsession with materiality, the work disseminates ideas explored in earlier projects such as New Spring and Infinity Blue – giving ephemeral entities, such as as light and time, physical homes. The installation itself is housed in a closed structure, generating a unique experience for visitors.

The debut of Wave. Particle. Duplex. celebrates the studio’s first foray with plasma – collaborating with local workshops and artisans on the production of their Dawn Particles series. Composed of a selection of Krypton lightworks, the compositions use magnetized plasma to capture bursts of light similar to those observed in the sun, stars, and comets. Hand blown glass is mounted onto panels and backed by a series of shifting currents that generate a bright, energetic wall of waves. The current’s light is blurred by the panel’s satin-sanded finish, creating a dramatic portrait of nature.

In the Fog Paintings, a micro-atmosphere of swirling fog is encapsulated in a series of backlit vitrines. These shifting fog patterns diffuse colored light, which in turn generates a sequence of transcendental silhouettes. The final works can be seen as an homage to the sublime – a contemporary vision of traditional landscape paintings, like that of the Hudson River School, which focus on the metaphysical capture of light and landscape.

Image courtesy of A/D/O

“A/D/O was built as a platform for creative ideation – it welcomes and nurtures artistic curiosity,” says Esther Bahne, Head of Brand Strategy and Innovation at MINI. “Our Designer-in-Residence Program further bolsters this model, encouraging creative partners like Studio Swine to develop concepts that might have been previously considered too daring.”

Visitors to Wave. Particle. Duplex. will encounter an artistic harnessing of nature uniquely crafted with modern technology. Together, the two bodies of work serve as the manifestation of Studio Swine’s larger investigation of the energy and invisible elements that shape our environment.

“We think of A/D/O as an incubator for design, a community that supports intellectual freedom and boundary-pushing collaboration.” continues Nate Pinsley, Managing Director of A/D/O. “With this, Studio Swine was given the opportunity to expand their practice, developing new techniques to further enhance their vision. Wave. Particle. Duplex. itself represents a new chapter for the studio – working with plasma for the first time to develop a portrait of a city that is equally soft and dramatic.”

On the occasion of Wave. Particle. Duplex. opening, Studio Swine will debut a documentary, produced in conjunction with A/D/O and MINI, that explores how both their residency and practice at large has informed the exhibition’s development.

Wave. Particle. Duplex. will be on view at A/D/O through February 10, 2019.

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