Tonight another installation grows under the High Line. Through the
fall, architect Spilios Gianakopoulos and BOFFO, a noprofit arts
organization, is putting on a series of one-off collaborations between
comers in architecture and fashion called Building Fashion at HL23,
under the highly contemporary Neil Denari-designed structure towering
above the High Line. (We’ve already seen the likes of a stark module
COLLECTIVE created for menswear designer Simon Spurr.) The newest
installment (the fourth of five planned) pairs Snarkitecture with
designer Richard Chai. “I didn’t want something that felt
straightforward,” says Chai. “There’s something sentimental about
clothes; I’m just trying to capture a little of that.” When he met with
artist Daniel Arsham and architect Alex Mustonen, who together make up
the Snarkitecture firm, he felt their vision was simpatico with his own.
“A lot of Daniel’s artwork is really inspiring to me,” Chai admits.
In designing the space, which will only stand for 10 days, Arsham and
Mustonen were able to flaunt the usual tedium—like building codes or
considerations of permanence. “We used this very dense Styrofoam-type
material that I’ve used a lot in my art,” says Arsham. “It would never
last longer than a week or two. In a way it’s much closer to the way I
would work in a gallery. It’s total play.”
Chai agrees. “What’s great about this material is that things can be crafted along the way,” he says. “And mistakes can be charming.”
The project is also a sort of free trial for Chai’s first standalone store. “The only other time I could do this is if I actually opened a store,” he says. “But then I might spend all this money with someone who, in the end, just didn’t get it. It could be a nightmare.” Which is why Chai wouldn’t hesitate to work with Arsham and Mustonen on the real thing. “I don’t know what their schedule is like in the next year,” says Chai, “but I’d love to work together again in the future.”
Building Fashion at HL23 presents: Richard Chai x Snarkitecture opens
tonight at HL23, 504 West 24th St under the High Line. It will run
though October 31.Top image: David Smith. All others, Lexie Moreland.
