Sculpting Space: 299 Chairs
March-October 2011
This installation was created by students in the Dallas ISD architecture magnet program at Skyline High School, led by teachers Tom Cox and Peter Goldstein. The students' goal was to transform the gallery through the manipulation of standard plastic classroom chairs. They began by exploring a number of spatial concepts such as open, dense, rotating, and expanding. Then, working in small teams, they used the chairs to “sculpt space.”
During this process, Gary Cunningham and Rizi Faruqi led the students in a series of hands-on sessions to assist with the challenges of connecting the chairs in order to shape the space. The students collaborated with Cunningham Architects to resolve details and to combine their individual pieces into a single spatial composition.
The chairs for the installation came from three Dallas ISD elementary schools: Urban Park, Medrano, and Dealey Montessori. The chairs resonate with memories as shown in the video that documents the thoughts and observations of the students who once used them. Video and editing services were donated by Brad Herbert and Rick Perez of Element X Creative. The chairs will be donated to local libraries after the installation.
