mike + doug starn: big bambu

'big bambú: you can't, you don't, and you won't stop' on the roof of the metropolitan art museum
all images © doug and mike starn


invited by the metropolitan museum of art to create a site-specific installation
for the iris and b. gerald cantor roof garden, the twin brothers mike and doug starn
(born in New Jersey in 1961) present their new work, 'big bambú: you can't, you don't,
and you won't stop'.



detail


the monumental bamboo structure, ultimately measuring 100 feet long, 50 feet wide,
and 50 feet high, takes the form of a cresting wave that bridges the realms of sculpture,
architecture, and performance. 'big bambú' is a growing and changing installation,―a vast
network of 5,000 interlocking 30- and 40-foot-long fresh-cut bamboo poles, lashed
together with 50 miles of nylon rope. it will continue to be constructed throughout
the duration of the exhibition. the first phase of the structure―measuring about 100 feet
long, 50 feet wide, and 30 feet high―was completed by opening day, April 27.



'big bambú' installation view, march 2010


visitors witness the continuing creation and evolving incarnations of 'big bambú' as it
is constructed throughout the spring, summer, and fall by artists and a team of rock
climbers. they will be continuing to build up the eastern portion of the sculpture to an
elevation of 50 feet. by summer, the western portion of the sculpture will be about 40 feet
high. an internal footpath artery system grows along with the structure, facilitating its progress.
the evolving state of the work is being documented by the artists in photographs and videos.

set against central park and its urban backdrop, 'big bambú' suggests the complexity and
energy of an ever-changing living organism.

it is the thirteenth-consecutive single-artist installation on the roof garden.



video documenting the process of monumental bamboo structure on the terrace of the metropolitan museum of art



'big bambú' installation view, march 2010


for other large bamboo installations by the starn brothers, see here.



detail of bamboo network



'big bambú' installation view, march 2010



'big bambú' installation view, march 2010



'big bambú' installation view, march 2010

'big bambú' installation view, march 2010

'big bambú' installation view, march 2010