Studio Gang's 'Hive' Unveiled

John Hill
18. April 2017
Images: Studio Gang

Hive, the fourth Summer Block Party iteration, will be made of more than 2,700 wound paper tubes that will reach high into the museum's soaring atrium space. Per a statement from the museum:

The tubes vary in size from several inches to 10 feet high and will be interlocked to create three dynamic interconnected, domed chambers. Reaching 60 feet tall, the installation’s tallest dome will feature an oculus over 10 feet in diameter. The tubes feature a reflective silver exterior and vivid magenta interior.

Although the statement describes parallels to Eero Saarinen's Gateway Arch, Brunelleschi's Dome, and vernacular Musgum mud huts, we can't help but think back to the first collaboration of the National Building Museum and Jeanne Gang's firm: Marble Curtain, part of the 2003 exhibition Masonry Variations. Although that earlier installation explored the structural impact of stone held in tension, and the new installation exploits a material that is conversely recyclable, lightweight, and renewable, the curved space of Marble Curtain is reiterated to a degree in Hive.

"Hive" will be open to the public from 4 July to 4 September 2017.

Marble Curtain, 2003 (Photo: Studio Gang)

Previous Summer Block Party installations:

  • ICEBERGS by James Corner Field Operations, 2016
  • BEACH by Snarkitecture, 2015
  • BIG Maze by BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, 2014

Related articles

Other articles in this category