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