Washington Street Installations

Work from five innovative designers selected by leading galleries

About

For the 2017 exhibition Exhibit Columbus worked with five leading international design galleries to create innovative installations along Washington Street – Columbus’ “main street.” Each of the five galleries selected one designer from its stable, and each designer was challenged to create an object or experience that enhances human interaction and connection and that inspires community conversations about the role of design in daily life.

Columbus Circles by PRODUCTORA (Mexico City)
Selected by Maniera (Brussels)

PAUSE by Pettersen & Hein (Copenhagen)
Selected by Etage Projects (Copenhagen)

Playhouse by Snarkitecture (New York)
Selected by Volume Gallery (Chicago)

Window to Columbus by Formafantasma (Amsterdam)
Selected by Dzek (London)

Theoretical Foyer by Cody Hoyt (Brooklyn)
Selected by Patrick Parrish Gallery (New York City)

Columbus Circles

PRODUCTORA / Maniera

PRODUCTORA inserts a series of circular elements attached to building facades along Washington Street, allowing pedestrians a place of rest along the street in an unexpected moment of beauty. Each element interacts in a different way with the surrounding context, highlighting unique narratives of the social and spatial history of the streetscape. This work fits into the larger themes that PRODUCTORA explores using specific architectural interventions to re-define, re-organize, and give new meaning to the surrounding context.

The five components of Columbus Circles were produced at M Concrete Studio in Columbus, Ohio. The dyed concrete forms are embedded with an aggregate material that only reveals itself on the surface when the concrete is sanded and polished. Each Circle was custom-cut to fit around architectural features along Washington Street and finished with polished metal tops to reflect the surrounding streetscapes.

PAUSE

Pettersen & Hein / Etage Projects

Pettersen & Hein have created a series of concrete benches that interact with Columbus’ unique design history and physical setting in their expression, colors, function, and material. PAUSE is a series of spatial sculptures, which at once call for a meeting, a break, and the start of a dialogue. Dialogue is also the starting point for the design, which relates directly to Alexander Girard's original 1964 streetscape color scheme for Washington Street — a hallmark of the street. Many of the buildings have since been repainted, making PAUSE an ode to Girard's innovative color codes.

Playhouse

Snarkitecture / Volume Gallery

Snarkitecture’s installation, Playhouse, is unexpectedly inserted in an alleyway between Third and Fourth Streets, introducing a dramatic spatial shift from the two to four story buildings that form the street front of Washington street. Using forced perspective to create the illusion of unexpected depth, Playhouse is an immersive environment open to all, but only fully explorable by children due to the diminishing scale. Continuous seating reinforces the depth of the forced perspective and provides a place of rest and social interaction. Playhouse is intended to bring people together and encourage engagement with architecture in a playful and inclusive setting.

Window to Columbus

Formafantasma / Dzek

Window to Columbus is a volcanic glazed brick wall with an inset window. This window will serve as a mini-museum with a fortnightly exhibition telling stories about the materials that have helped to define Washington Street and the architecture of Columbus at large. The six exhibitions are co-curated by Formafantasma and Tricia Gilson of Columbus Indiana Architectural Archives.

Theoretical Foyer

Cody Hoyt / Patrick Parrish Gallery

Cody Hoyt’s installation transforms the corner of Seventh Street and Washington Street by replacing more than 2500 existing monochromatic sidewalk bricks with new and brightly colored concrete bricks fabricated in Columbus. Using the colors from the Alexander Girard-designed seat cushions at the Miller House and Garden, Hoyt has created a vibrant motif that invites visitors to imagine new ways to use this corner as a platform for events and happenings.