What happens when an artist scales up their work to a large format? Alexandra Subota embarks on this experiment in The Wall #3, the third edition of the project The Wall. She is working on an artwork of nearly 200 square meters until November 11, 2023.
To develop my practice, I am interested in creating room-filling installations and large-scale work. During the working period for 'The Wall', I want to research how to fill a big area effective and efficiently. To me it is important to investigate how to occupy a large space without sacrificing detail. Due to its experimental approach, 'The Wall' is a perfect opportunity to explore working on large-scale projects.
I will work with my interpretation of a gloomy, decaying paradise. To visualise this, I intend to make use of well known images and symbols from daily life and pop culture; A rainbow and flames. I have the aim to incorporate not just the wall, but also the space around it. The rainbow will consist of several smaller pieces of tinted soft polyurethane foam which are attached to the wall. Together, the pieces will form a vibrant, rainbow-like shape. The flames will be three-dimensional and made from different kinds of fabric. They will occupy the space in front of the wall.
I enjoy finding inspiration in unforeseen results
At first, I made a decision regarding the materials I want to use for this project and I started with some sketches and calculations, for instance how many meters of fabric I will approximately need. As I never worked on such big work before, it is a lot of trial and error. Try-outs which work on a smaller scale, will not work the same way on large-scale. Constructing huge work requires more planning. At the same time I gain a lot of new input and enjoy exploring and finding inspiration in unforeseen results as I carry out my plans.
I am working with a large variety of materials. For this project my primary focus will be on soft polyurethane foam and textile, such as shiny and translucent fabric. While I have experience working with foam, utilising fabric is rather new to me. I am excited to delve into working with fabric, given its quality of adaptability and its capacity to effectively cover a large surface.
The largest work I have created so far was a site-specific installation I made at Sign in 2022. 'Dolce Vita' consisted of two palm trees made out of soft polyurethane foam and silicone, each around 2,5m high.
I would love to adorn some of the greyish buildings surrounding the train station with shiny, colourful ornaments.
Since the start of the project, I have been discovering new possibilities to make my idea work in different ways. It is exciting to push my boundaries and experiment with various techniques. At the moment, the work process resembles a playful puzzle where all the pieces will eventually come together. I look forward to surprise myself with the final outcome and hope that looking back I can say that 'The Wall' was an intriguing project through which I progress in my artistic practice