Exhibit Columbus 2021 opens with Indiana installations

Architectural installation on a street with planted trees on the pavement in front of it.

Window Dressing, Ang Li, 2021, Columbus, Indiana. University affiliation: Northeastern University, Site: The Commons. Image credit: Hadley Fruits

(Image credit: Hadley Fruits)

By Hannah Silver

published 28 August 2021

The third installment of Exhibit Columbus 2021 has kicked off, with 13 Indiana installations designed by architects and creative practices on display to the public until November 2021.

Architects have explored the history of Columbus in works that interlink the cultural, political and historical references of the city, both nodding to the past and speculating on solutions for the future. The installations play on Columbus’ modernist architecture, responding to co-creators Iker Gil and Mimi Zeiger’s question; ‘New Middles: From Main Street To Megalopolis, What Is The Future of The Middle City?’

The question is considered from a multitude of standpoints. J Irwin and Xenia S Miller prize recipients Dream the Combine, Ecosistema Urbano, Future Firm, Olalekan Jeyifous, and Sam Jacob Studio scrutinise the city’s occupants and events – past, present and future – in their work. Whether exploring the impact Christopher Columbus had on the city, rethinking the physicality of teaching post-pandemic or viewing Columbus through a nocturnal filter, space is reconfigured and rethought. Other pieces examine the role African art has played in the city’s identity or intertwine works with a playful fictionality, viewing the space as an alternative reality.

A blue street pole with various coloured decorations on it and a colourful flag. — *Alternative Instruments*, Sam Jacob Studio, 2021, Columbus, Indiana. Site: Washington Street. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits*

Calibrate, Natalie Yates, 2021. An outdoor architectural exhibit of a topographical map made from clear plastic. — *Calibrate*, Natalie Yates, 2021, Columbus, Indiana. University affiliation: Ball State University. Site: Franklin Square. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits.*

It is geography that attracts other architects, with Derek Hoeferlin tracing the Mississippi River, and High School Design Team considering how the river shapes the architecture of Columbus, while Ersela Kripa and Stephen Mueller look to the skies in a study of the flight paths. The appearance of the city as a whole is mulled over by Lola Sheppard and Mason White, while Joyce Hwang considers the impact of wildlife.

Jei Jeeyea Kim draws our attention to what is missing from the landscape, acknowledging the silenced voices of the past; others look to external movements, with Ang Li considering the impact of late modernism on the city and Natalie Yates revealing patterns and rhythms through a stringent analysis of environment data.

Cloudroom, Ecosistema Urbano, 2021. A blue cloud shaped exhibit on a green lawn with red balls underneath it. — *Cloudroom*, Ecosistema Urbano, 2021, Columbus, Indiana. Site: Central Middle School. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits.*

To Middle Species, With Love, Joyce Hwang, 2021. A series of wooden poles with wooden structures at the top of them, each held up by a pile of stones on a green grass. — *To Middle Species, With Love*, Joyce Hwang, 2021, Columbus, Indiana. University affiliation: University at Buffalo. Site: Mill Race Park. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits.*

Midnight Palace, Future Firm 2021. A wall made of different shaped metal rods with lights at the end of each. — *Midnight Palace*, Future Firm 2021, Columbus, Indiana. Site: Sears Building Plaza. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits.*

Tracing Our Mississippi, Derek Hoeferlin 2021. A white stone outdoor structure with a map of the Mississippi on it. — *Tracing Our Mississippi*, Derek Hoeferlin 2021, Columbus, Indiana. University affiliation: Washington University St. Louis. Site: The Pump House. *Image credit: Hadley Fruits.*

INFORMATION

exhibitcolumbus.org

TOPICS

USA

Hannah Silver joined Wallpaper* in 2019 to work on watches and jewellery. Now, as well as her role as watches and jewellery editor, she writes widely across all areas including on art, architecture, fashion and design. As well as offbeat design trends and in-depth profiles, Hannah is interested in the quirks of what makes for a digital success story.