I was invited to create an Installation for the opening of the new Victoria and Albert Museum in Shenzen China. This was possibly my favorite show to date. This entire installation was created in just 5 weeks. This was the first time I was able to utilize the process and spirit of Tapigami to its full potential. Tapigami, at its core, is meant to make art accessible. It has the ability to create stronger bonds through allowing strangers to make large scale works of art together quickly. It needs close to zero overhead or infrastructure to be activated. While working on this project, I realized that China’s true infrastructure lies within the people in its society.
Upon arrival in Shenzhen, my hosts Maker Net and I set out to create a flyer with a QR code that explained the project, provided an outline, and designated when and where volunteers could help. We spent the weekend traveling around Shenzhen to Maker Faires and maker spaces, parks, popular city haunts, and colleges. I would create a sculpture on my body to attract a crowd. Fafa, my partner from Maker Net, would answer questions, explain the project and pass out flyers with QR codes so people could participate and tell their friends. The next day at the Maker Net studio we had 15 people who came after work to learn how to make Tapigami and construct these sculptures. By the end of the 4 weeks we would have 30+ people on the weekends.
The concept of the installation was to create an environment that felt like an organic pulsating network of human potential. The large ball hanging from the center of the dome was one meter in diameter. By myself, It would have taken me over a month to create such a sculpture. The hand in the center of the installation was to suggest an evolution of a city into a more human form. The hand was surrounded by pulsating geometric shapes each with multiple tentacles of sculpture reaching out and infecting the geodesic dome that housed the work. In one of the pictures you can see a pillar of tape covered with the names of everyone who helped. This was easily the best experience I have ever had creating a show.