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res publica. Temporary installation, commissioned for the ‘5x5’ Washington DC (USA) public art festival (2012), comprising three distinct elements: (1) a stainless steel leaflet dispenser; (2) printed plans for making a 1:50 scale architectural cardboard model of the Supreme Court; PDF copies of the printed plan were also downloadable from the ‘5x5’ website (3) four human-scale cardboard versions of the model installed at various sites around the city. (constructed with the help of students at Washington’s Corcoran College of Art and Design). See: http://www.wolfgangweileder.com/installation/res_publica.html ; http://www.the5x5project.com/bios/richard-hollinshead/wolfgang-weileder/ ; http://www.globegallery.org/archive-magnificent-distance.php

Lookup NU author(s): Professor Wolfgang Weileder

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Abstract

res publica was a temporary installation, commissioned for the ‘5x5’ Washington DC (USA) public art festival (2012). The project extended previous research by engaging directly in complex and pressing societal issues around the social function of architecture and public space. res publica combined three distinct elements. A stainless steel leaflet dispenser was positioned on the pavement outside the Supreme Court in Washington DC. Presented as a miniature Palladian temple based on the proportions the Court building, the dispenser contained an edition of printed plans for making a 1:50 scale architectural cardboard model of the Supreme Court. These were free for passers-by to take away. Meanwhile four larger human-scale cardboard versions of the model (constructed with the help of students at Washington’s Corcoran College of Art and Design) were installed at various sites around the city. These locations were selected for their associations with privilege and homelessness, and included the Washington DC Jewish Community Centre, the Cosmos Club parking lot and the TechWorld Plaza. The cardboard models were deliberately left to the mercy of the weather and the urban environment, decaying or being removed or destroyed during over the month-long period of the project. Finally, a limited-edition artwork was auctioned to raise funds for Washington DC’s homeless community. PDF copies of the printed plan were also downloadable from the ‘5x5’ website. In combining these elements and presenting them within the cityscape, res publica juxtaposed two diametrically different understandings of architecture: one representative of power and prestige and the other a basic shelter for survival. The ‘5x5’ project received considerable local press attention in the US, including in the Washington Post and on cultural blogs. Documentation from res publica was presented alongside other works from ‘5x5’, in the exhibition ‘Magnificent Distance’ (Globe Gallery, Newcastle, UK, 2012).

Publication metadata

Artist(s): Weileder W

Publication type: Artefact

Publication status: Published

Year: 2012

Venue: 5x5 Public Art Festival

Location: Washington DC, USA

Source Publication Date: 20 March - 28 April 2012

Type of Work: Portfolio

Short Title: res publica

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