do ho suh: fallen star

'fallen star' by do ho suh at university of california, san diego


the stuart collection at the university of california, san diego (UCSD) seeks to enrich the cultural, intellectual,
and scholarly life of its campus and local community by building and maintaining a collection of site-specific works
envisioned by leading contemporary artists. the latest installation is that of korean artist do ho suh who explores the notion of
home and displacement, in connection to the cultural meaning of space and the relationship between the personal and the collective.
his working themes are particularly relevant in the context of increasing globalization (with frequent dislocation of refugees and others)
in consideration to california's highly mobile population.

for his commissioned work, the 18th in the collection, do ho suh has conceived 'fallen star', a small, sky blue home which seems
to have magically raised itself off the ground, landing on the roof of a building, seven stories up. the 15 x 18 foot structure sits a top
the UCSD jacobs school of engineering building 1, hanging slightly over the edge at an angle of approximately 10 degrees,
the floor within set at a four degree tilt.

the dwelling could be interpreted as a 'home' for the numerous students who have left their homes to attend the educational institution.
as part of the work, suh envisions a roof garden, which acts as a platform offering panoramic views in which small groups can gather.



preparing to hoist the home up off the ground






aerial view of 'fallen star' before it begins its ascent



lifting the house off the ground



the sky blue home making its way up seven stories...



almost there...



lowering the home onto the corner edge of the building



bird's-eye view



placing the home at the edge of the UCSD jacobs school of engineering building 1, tilted at a 10 degree angle






the artist do ho suh with 'fallen star' before its installation



construction and installation process:


building the framework



preparing the roof of the building where the home is placed



aerial view



the frame of 'fallen star' up and ready






up close look at the tilted structure



the walls and roof being installed







'fallen star' installation



scale models of 'fallen star'



full model view of the rooftop installation



detail