Ryan Mandell
Friday, 27 January 2012
Work from Social Velocity @ Redux Contemporary.
“The psychological state of a society, its tendencies, hopes, and fears, are illuminated by the structures it chooses to create, and the ways in which those structures are used. Architecture is initially born from, and dictated by human need and desire. However, once a structure is complete and comes into use, it assumes a life of its own and begins to impress itself on the individuals that encounter it in unforeseen ways. My sculpture consists of scaled down and streamlined versions of existing architectural forms that are either re-contextualized or re-presented in such a way that architecture’s social influence (or potential for social influence) becomes more evident.
The study of contemporary architecture in developed or developing countries reveals universalities that exist throughout humanity (regardless of nationality, race, or geographical location). These repeated formal choices in architecture around the world betray a set of universal concerns and desires: modularity, order, efficiency, and convenience. The sculptural objects I create call into question the validity of adopting these characteristics as ideals. ” – Ryan Mandell