Monday, September 08, 2008
Artist looks at re-use of former retail sites
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Change is a fact of life. But what happens when big retailers move out of their big-box shells has been a phenomenon of change that inter-disciplinary artist and researcher Julia Christensen has been worrying about for the last six years."
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4 comments:
with our economy and country on its decline, we are going to be seeing a lot more of this. it's important that these structures be reused and modified to accommodate out way of life. whether they are turned into entertainment/arts venues, or communal live spaces. our generation is going to have to figure out how to best utilize these large spaces for the best purposes.
I went to see this exhibition and after looking at all the photographs I was shocked by the internal transformation of some of the buildings. The huge open spaces left by these retail giants lend themselves to a variety of uses, some were flawlessly transformed into schools or clinics that have no trace of the structures' previous use. However, while the inside of these structures is easily converted, the outside of these structures, which is constructed especially to trigger a connection to specific business, still holds that connection. The reuse of these buildings is a step in the right direction for our planet and economy, but in return our communities will be flooded with the sight of these inevitably recognizable structures.
These Spaces also make great theatres for the community. At my undergrad alot of us in the drama dept like to go and help out the local theatre called "Redwood Curtain" that was located in an old truevalue store in a strip mall. Was awesome, and was one of the best venue's in northern California. Having a large space worked out great for them cause they could just change the floor plan for themselves as needed. They had a working shop, storage, dressing rooms, control booth etc...
With our economy declining, i find it interesting that artists of all professionals are able to afford these types of structures for galleries. It is very ironic however, the role reversal these artists have decided to act upon. It seems like a personal suit, a way of punching big business back in the face by saying, "look what we can do out of your monotonous and boring structure, make something out of it that is as individual as the decaying structure itself".
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