mike + doug starn: big bambu at the venice biennale

'big bambú' by mike and doug starn of starn studio, venice, italy
image © designboom


currently on display at the 54th venice biennale is 'big bambú', an evolutionary and complex structure by
american artists and brothers mike and doug starn. previously installed on the roof of the metropolitan museum of art in new york
- where it ranked forth in the world for total attendance of a contemporary exhibition in 2010 -  the piece is being presented as an
official collateral exhibition, part of a special project by glasstress. 

sculptural and experiential, the hollow bamboo structure features a spiraling and undulating trail which leads visitors to an expansive
lounge fifty feet above the grand canal. meandering through the courtyard of casa artom next to the peggy guggenheim collection,
the organic and woven maze remains in a state of constant flux, complete but never at rest. the artists, along with a crew of eleven
rock climbers, will continue to lash together more than 3,000 bamboo poles, extending the pathway upwards and adding an additional
fifteen to twenty feet of height until the dismantling - expected to last two weeks - begins on june 18th.



view of top part of the structure
image © designboom


mike starn states,
'it is a sculpture, but not a static sculpture. it's something that exists through the presence of the people inside it.
it's an organism that we, and the crew of rock climbers, are just a part of--helping to move it along.
we are constructing an ongoing tower, growth and change remain invariable, and they are a constant.'



details
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doug starn, adds,
'we have a philosophy of chaotic interdependence; of how every complex thing grows and evolves (animal, social structures, etc…),
and 'big bambú' actually physically presents it, it is philosophical engineering. everything depends upon one another and the loads
are distributed throughout, the interdependence is natural and fluid. there is not too much weight applied to any one thing.'



exterior
image © designboom



details
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in addition to the 2,000 fresh cut bamboo stalks harvested from a farm in france, the current installation utilizes several fragments
salvaged from last years exhibition at the met. poles from both locations will be used again at stem cells in future projects or as
stand alone sculptures, while others will be stored in europe or the united states.



the bamboo stalks directly intersect with the ground
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stairs at entrance
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detail of stairs
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spiraling trail
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the trail overlooking casa artom and the peggy guggenheim collection museum
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view on canal grande
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detail of bending pathway
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a complex network of intersecting poles 
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detail of 'wall'
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view of san marco
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detail of connections
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rooftop lounge
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rooftop lounge
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new stalks and fragments salvaged from last years installation
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floor of rooftop lounge
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detail of pathway
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looking up at the spiraling trail
image © designboom



view from canal grande
image © designboom


glasstress
is a collateral event of the 54th international venice biennale, which is now its its second year after it debut in 2009.
conceived by adriano berengo, the contemporary art exhibition collaborates with prominent artists and designers from around the
world to showcase their talent and creative expressions.

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