0 to 60: the Experience of Time through Contemporary Art is an exhibit by the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) and Penland School of Crafts featuring work from various artists exploring the theme of art and time. This is perhaps my all-time favorite exhibition at the NCMA.
I was particularly fascinated by Do-Ho Suh‘s piece, “348 West 22nd St., Apt. A, New York, NY 10011.” It is part of his “The Perfect Home” series where he creates full-scale replicas of his apartments – out of transparent nylon.
The nylon walls hang weightlessly from a minimal metal frame. Suh recreates every element of his Chelsea apartment, including windows, doors, fireplace, appliances, faucets, and all the light switches. He even stitches a brick pattern around the fireplace and a tile pattern in the bathroom. I was amazed by his intricate detail.
This series speaks to his transient life between Seoul and New York City, with the works resembling the surreal memory of space and place. Learn more about “The Perfect Home” through this video of his installation at the Tate Modern.
It was fun documenting this apartment even though it’s only a suggestion of space. I represented the space by a hand-sketched plan, and photographs capture the dream-like environment. I was intrigued by the sense of being in this space, but also seeing the gallery and visitors beyond.
Since the 310 sqft apartment was only slightly larger than my studio apartment, I couldn’t help but compare the plans and the spaces they created. The layout was really efficient, with a bathroom and a comfortable-sized kitchen to one side, maximizing the rest of the studio’s living space. Suh’s apartment had a clearer definition of space, whereas the definition at my studio came from it’s length and added built-ins. I wonder how he arranged his furniture…
The exhibit is open through August 11, 2013, so make sure you stop by before it ends!
See more pictures:
Intentionally Small 
Hello! I found your site through your Youtube video. I was looking for some inspiration, being a family of 5 in a 900 square foot CT home. I certainly found what I was looking for! And this blog is a treasure! It makes me excited about small space living and want to get creative and make it work instead of getting frustrated with our small space and growing family… Beautiful work, Nicole, and congratulations on your engagement! What a beautiful couple you are! It will be so interesting to see where you go from here with your space as your life changes. I wish the two of you all the best. I’m so glad I found this lovely, cozy corner of the internet! Yay!
Thank you so much! Reading comments like this makes my blog all worth it! I wish you and your family the best!
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this is beautiful – thanks for sharing ! ! !
I really started to get into small houses/flats lately and I found out about this Chinese architect who makes the most of tiny flats: http://betterymagazine.com/conversations/interviewing-gary-chang/
enjoy the article and keep up the good posts ! !
Hi Karen, thank you for sharing! This is great!
Reblogged this on Thirty Birds and commented:
As both an artist and woman with a penchant for small living… this marries the two together perfectly.
I would love to walk around this …and I also love how the small apartment as an installation contained within the vaster space of the North Carolina Museum of Art (NCMA) gallery highlights the actual dimensions of our liveable space on a day-to-day basis.
Sarah.x
I *Love* this! I reblogged it as for me, both as an artist and lover of smaller/simpler living this brings these two elements together amazingly.
I love your site, Nicole and peep back every now and again for some apartment snooping, marvelling at clever storage and mostly just loving the incredible shots you manage to get! Many thanks for your work and for sharing 🙂
Sarah
Thanks Sarah! I loved seeing this on your blog 🙂 Glad it brought as much joy to you as it did to me. I hope you can see it in person one day!