mike + doug starn: big bambu at the venice biennale

mike + doug starn: big bambu at the venice biennale 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. 

view of top part of the structure image © designboom

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. 

details 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.’

exterior image © designboom

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.’

details image © designboom

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 image © designboom

stairs at entrance image © designboom

detail of stairs image © designboom

spiraling trail image © designboom

the trail overlooking casa artom and the peggy guggenheim collection museum image © designboom

view on canal grande image ©  designboom

detail of bending pathway image © designboom

a complex network of intersecting poles  image © designboom

detail of ‘wall’ image © designboom

view of san marco image © designboom

detail of connections image © designboom

rooftop lounge image © designboom

rooftop lounge image © designboom

new stalks and fragments salvaged from last years installation image © designboom

floor of rooftop lounge image © designboom

detail of pathway image © designboom

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.