Services – Design, Build, Installation
Location – London, UK
That time Daniel Arsham came to town!
Daniel Arsham (born 1980) is an American visual artist. He lives and works in New York City.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio and raised in Miami, Florida, Arsham was 12 when Hurricane Andrew destroyed his childhood home. This traumatic event has been a continuous theme through his work. Fond of arts and mathematics, Arsham attended the Design and Architecture High School and was awarded a full scholarship to The Cooper Union in New York City.
Quite possibly the most famous and prominent retail location in the UK, where Duke Street meets Oxford Street, within Selfridges there is a place known simply as, The Corner Shop. “A place for creativity and collaboration, The Corner Shop is our permanent pop-up space at Selfridges London that hosts a line up of imaginative retail concepts and innovations…”
Forming part of Arshams “Future Relics” collection, featuring a crystal eroded Porsche 911 and vintage Mac, Arsham was invited to occupy the Corner Shop as part of Selfridges “future fantasy” creative campaign. Arsham’s The House, comprising of a garage, kitchen, lounge, office and closet, adorned with items from a reimagined future in the year 3019.
Studio Sowow were commisioned to design, produce and install 3metre tall wall sections, which defined The House’ space. Each acrylic clad, stud wall section featured CNC etched masonry work including window and door frames, house numbers and numerous recognisable decorative features. Each section featured internal uplighting which illuminated the etched detailing. For additional detail, electrical conduit, mains sockets, shelving and doors were built in. Arsham’ vision also featured a six metre wide suspended roof section.
Due to the scale and complexity of the wall features, it was imperative that effective “anchors” and fixings were used to ensure the accurate division of the space and the safety of its occupants. The irregular shape of the wedge shaped space, and undulating floors, posed a particular challenge. Studio Sowow designed custom fixings that enabled the flawless integration of the installation into Selfridges existing architecture.
Studio Sowow performed rigorous on-site surveys that enabled the digital reproduction of the space. Having an accurate map of the space allowed us to understand precisely where the intersections of the space and the installation were. This also enabled the effective collaboration of suppliers. Materials used were compliant with the venues stringent fire rating requirements and all off-the-shelf load bearing fixings were appropriately rated.
