Reclaimed Void, 2013
Pre-cast concrete panel (GRC, EPS, MS), Cantilever suspension system
3m x 3.3m x 0.15m
DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai
DUCTAC, an arts and cultural centre, has many hidden areas and cavities embedded in its architecture. 'Reclaimed Void', a site-specific work, activates one of these covert spaces. A pre-cast concrete panel is left suspended in limbo, within an architectural void. Lacking any foundation to stand on, the precariously situated panel speaks of an unsettled awareness we carry within.
‘Reclaimed Void’ can be viewed from two levels. When seen from the ground level it has an overbearing presence, framed within the amplified perspective of the void. When confronted from the first level, the panel hangs in line with the floor the viewer stands on. This creates a spatial relation, where the door section invites the viewer to inhabit a psychological space that is rooted in emptiness. With the sky-roof above and the floor below, the void finds itself in an in-between state. The dead load of the
pre-cast panel will hover in this void indefinitely, as it is meant to be a permanent installation.
While calling upon personal reflection, this replicable pre-cast panel also alludes to a collective condition. Reflecting how our world is at unrest in many ways.
This artwork is part of co.mmission, an arts initiative by Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) that invites local and international artists to create permanent artworks in and around the DUCTAC premises. co.mmission is curated by Simon Coates.
Credits: Co-funded by an Anonymous Art Patron and DUCTAC; Technical support by Ramesh Jayaraj (Green Star Décor), Brendon Poole (Cat Décor), Ganga Govind (United Precast Concrete), Victor A. D’Souza (United Precast Concrete), Murukesh Sreesailam (United C), Mohammed Basheer (MAZ Consultants), K.S. Pandey (Emirates Contracting), Chris Allatt (Apex Scaffolding); Production and structural plans by Mr. Prabhu Duraisamy & team (Green Star Décor), Mr. Mutharasan A.R. & team (Wintech Industries), Andrelo Nitron (MAZ Consultants); Also supported by Craig Burgess (DUCTAC), Alvin Paniterce (DUCTAC), Rabi Georges (DUCTAC), Richard Odi (DUCTAC), Arif Uddin(DUCTAC) Prasool Puthanveedu (Dalkia), Sonny Oommen (Dalkia), Amit Kumar Sen (MAF), Silvano D'Costa (MAF), Abdalla Dawood (MAF), Rafiullah Zar Noor (MAF), Nayeem Yakup (MAF) Javed Aslam Awan (MAF), Pramod Vermula (Grako), Chintu Palni(Grako), Bashir Mulla (Grako), Maya Nasser (Art Dubai), Kevin Jones
