jean-pascal flavien’s life-size house installation at the esther schipper gallery

french artist jean-pascal flavien has constructed a life-sized house within berlin’s esther schipper exhibition space, set in the midst of a sandy ground with a number of rocks, evoking a desert-like environment. made of two near identical structures posed at an angle and apparently held by a central hinge, the house, entitled ‘ballardian four’, addresses a notion of doubling, coupling, and splitting — processes that continue throughout the exhibition. 

set in the midst of a sandy ground with a number of rocks, the environment evokes a desert
all images © andrea rossetti

the two parts constitute separate but connected elements; while one section of the house is accessible and may accommodate a living inhabitant, its double is inhabited only by a stone. the landscape thus enters the building and becomes trapped in this museum-like space. like a vitrine, the closed-off structure holds its contents in a state of being looked at. building and landscape are contingent, organizing one another in a reciprocal exchange of qualities.

the vividly painted house is made of plasterboard, glass, and metal

dissolving demarcation between mental space, built structure and surrounding landscape, jean-pascal flavien‘s house draws on the writings of j.g. ballard whose highly charged dystopian scenarios often displace psychological and existential conditions onto buildings and landscapes. the house includes custom-made furnishings specific to its premise, drawing both on flavien’s formal vocabulary and on a condensed ballardian world. 

like a vitrine, the closed-off structure holds its contents in a state of being looked at

in addition, the landscape outside the house will include a pair of entangled chairs that echo the house’s act of doubling yet also invoke the presence of inhabitants, just as doubling rows of small boulders recall an archaic meeting place but also incorporates an instance of mirroring. the sculptures can appear to shift between states: at times present as discrete objects, at others fusing more resolutely chameleon-like into the fantastic landscape ballardian house conjures up. the program will run from september 8 until october 21, 2017 at the esther schipper exhibition space in berlin.

the house addresses a notion of doubling, coupling, and splitting

two rows of small boulders that have been cut in halves recall an archaic meeting place but also incorporate an instance of mirroring

the house includes custom-made furnishings specific to its premise

nestled together, the two chairs are forever connected, connoting both intimacy and commitment