Client: Art Basel Miami Beach and Creative Time
Type: Art Park
Size / Date: 25,000 square feet / 2011
Awards: Commendation, 2013 WAN 21 for 21 Award
Winner, 2011 Core77 Design Award
1st Place, 2010 Art Basel Miami Beach / Creative Time Oceanfront competition (Miami Beach)
Wind is inherently formless. “Exhale,” the winning competition entry for the 2010 Oceanfront competition, harnessed its formlessness to create a dynamic public environment in the city. The competition called for an art park that was also an open public space. During the evenings, art programs showcased video, dance, and DJ performances.
Exhale in 2010 Art Basel Miami Beach Oceanfront from MODU on Vimeo.
The art park attracted thousands of visitors, its 25,000 square foot site in Miami Beach transformed by seven miles of draping ropes that swayed in the wind. An open plan arrangement of the structures enabled interactivity between the performing artists and the public. It eschewed static divisions of space, instead encouraging constant public activity in informal spaces that shifted form and use with the changing evening winds. The park and performance areas were designed to integrate with the rope structures and accommodate both recreational and cultural activities.
External Links:
This Woman is Changing the Way We See Art (Wall Street Journal)
Uncovering Treasures at Art Basel Miami Beach (BBC)
The Efectiveness of Coral Reefs for Coastal Hazard Risk Reduction and Adaptation (Nature)
MiamiDade Reef and Buoy Finder
MODU is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites
“Exhale” used two types of rope, reflective and phosphorescent, to form a canopy that shimmered and glowed in the night. A digital lighting-control system that responded to weather data from wind-speed sensors governed the canopy’s visual appearance. The dynamic wind patterns made it possible for the public to experience weather interactively. When the wind reached particular speeds, it activated special lighting sequences designed to transform the environment.
After the closing of the art park, all of the materials used were donated. The concrete footings and steel structure in the project were used by MiamiDade County to help form an artificial reef that is a resilient buffer against future hurricanes as well as to promote marine life. During the project's design phase, the concrete footings were designed to foster future coral growth. The artificial reef, located at the underwater Belcher Barge, is healthy and currently sustaining full coral growth.
Press:
Interior Design (December 2010)
Icon (February 2011)
Domus, Online (18 December 2010)
The Art Newspaper (1 December 2010)
Financial Times, Online (1 December 2010)
The Miami Herald (1 December 2010)
FastCo Design, Online (30 November 2010)
HuffingtonPost, Online (24 November 2010)
The Sky’s the Limit: Applying Radical Architecture. Gestalten (2012)
A Touch of Code: Interactive Installations and Experiences. Gestalten (2011)
Project Team: Phu Hoang, Rachely Rotem, Ammr Vandal, Federica Von Euw, Sunghyun Park
Credits: Arup, YH Engineering (Structural), Robin Hill (Photography)