inter:archive IRL
inter:archive was originally designed for the physical space of the OnCurating Project Space in Zurich. The set design was developed in collaboration with stage designer Elisabeth Fritsch, as a comfortable space for the public to hang out, while at the same time incorporating ideas of fluidity, cross-layers, multiplicities and instabilities.
From the images of the model (made with great precision by Elisabeth) we are able to learn a little bit more about the central ideas of the project:
The floor would be composed by a patchwork of overlapping carpets, sewn together at their intersections. They would stand in different places such as on the walls and windows, or on the floor, sometimes even elevated from it. In addition to the carpets, there would be white semi-transparent curtains (not included in the model) hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room, in different positions; sometimes long, sometimes short, creating an asymmetrical environment where each finds its own way. The idea was to project text citations on the translucent fabrics, allowing the light, the text and the people’s mouvements to become “visible”.
Around the space, there would be a range of different chairs and cushions. The carpets would also be intended as an invitation for visitors to sit down. With regards to the lighting, the third window (the one with the yellow carpet), would have yellow transparent filters in order to influence the natural light coming into the space, transforming it depending on the time of the day, the weather etc. To maintain the space dark, it was thought to prepare some grey blackout curtains that would be moveable and used only when needed, for instance for a live performance. Some additional colored filters would be added to the windows to soften the general lighting climate of the space. The collected material, i.e. books, zines, would be displayed on hanging shelves in different formats, as well as placed on the elevated carpets. The printed texts were imagined to be hanging from the ceiling by threads at different heights, like a "rain".
The physical scenagraphy of the archive was an essential part of the project. It intended to challenge the formal constellation of a conventional archive, by creating a mesmerizing and multi-functional installation.
(collective text by the team inter:archive)