The aim of this project is to design a shop window display for the brand Kvadrat in the essence and theory of artist Vito Acconci. In this project, his performance ‘Rubbing Piece’ of 1969 was heavily referenced to.
Birthed in Denmark in 1968, Kvadrat today is a revolutionary, globally recognised brand of textiles and other soft interior furnishings amongst designers, retailers as well as their clients. There are three different yet essentially similar sub brands under the Kvadrat name - Kvadrat, Kvadrat Soft Cells and Kinnasand.
The performance was a time-based piece involving the uniform application of abrasion to his skin, forming an abrasion mark over time. Rubbing Piece was set in Max’s Kansas City Restaurant in New York where Acconci sat in a booth by himself for an entire hour. Within the time frame, he applied constant pressure to his forearm, repeatedly without stopping. His skin eventually gave way and an abrasion was formed.
Exploring Materiality
I experimented with various mediums such as fabric, plaster and paper to determine which best responds to pressure. Eventually, I decided to go with crepe paper as it best allows me to have control on the pressure applied.
In this project, this time-based action is being adopted and applied onto a life-sized replica of the skin barrier. The centre of focus for this piece would be the impact that is formed on the skin barrier after an hour’s time. This subconscious style of creating is similar to that of ‘Automatism’ artwork, falling under the Surrealist umbrella.
Although the result is rather simply interpreted, previous experimentations has proven that the essence of time plays a huge role - a rushed version of this action simply could not generate the same effect.
