Glassbox is an artist run
association dedicated to contemporary art exhibitions. It exists
since 1997. First based in the 11th ward of Paris it has moved in
several locations in the city over the years until march 2012 when it
has reopened near its historical location, rue Moret.
FREAKS freearchitects
have been commissioned to work on its new space based on the ground
floor of a newly built housing building.
The major aim of the
project was to first create a facade to the street, and then work on
the inner space to maximize the exhibition surface on the walls and
allow different types of configuration.
FREAKS' statement has
been to consider the space as a flexible area by installing a
rotating over-scale door that organizes the whole space by splitting
it in several ways.
To increase the relation
with the outdoor environment, the facade has been realized with a
similar system as the ones used for bars and cafés. That's why the
facade doesn't look like a typical art gallery facade. That sliding
system allows the whole space to be all open to the street. The ground floor has been realized with the same black asphalt as the one composing the outdoor pavement. Once open, the gallery looks just like an extension of the sidewalk...
The inner space is very
simple and pure since dedicated to art exhibition but contains one
main element : a 180° rotating wall that allows to split the space
in different ways according to each exhibitions.
The photos have been
taken during the first opening exhibition Invisible landscapes /
Earth by croatian artist Davor Sanvincenti.