LUCAS SIMÕES
Corpos de Prova
December 14, 2017 - January 27, 2018
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 14th, 5-8pm
The Portuguese phrase Corpos de Prova translates to “bodies of test or proof” – a technical term for testing the limits of strength and resistance in regards to architecture and in particular concrete building materials. Lucas Simões’ practice explores the concepts of experimenting with balance, pressure and materiality – creating situations which test the limits of a structure and its inevitable and eventual loss of stability.
This presentation by Simões is a grouping of new sculptures, all sharing a dominant material focus, the use of concrete and paper. As a structural material, concrete serves a multi purpose function, serving as a base support for the foundation of a structure but also as the embodiment of strength and frame. However, within these works the concrete is in dialogue with the delicateness of paper and other materials, creating systems of unexpected dependance. The paper components serve as a strong hold for the concrete, leveling the materials’ importance in the overall sustain of the structure. There is a play between the paper and the concrete, where each materials symbolic weight and conventional function is challenged by its equal role in maintaining the shape of the compositions within the work. What we are presented with is a poetic equalizer of material, all components dependent of one another in order to collaboratively maintain the tension that keeps the forms in place.
Simões’ interests focus on exploring the functions of structures and systems, and subsequently their inevitable failure and deterioration as an organic component in the life of their material contexts. Foundation is conventionally approached as a premeditated step towards permanence, Simões’ practice however looks at the information that can be gained from a recognition of the inherent instability of a foundation. Wether through the lens of his interests with Modernist Architectural history or the simple colorful nuances of communication, Simões’ work is a an exploration of the organic dances of balance within bodies of material and form.
Installation view of Corpos de Prova
Corpos de Prova
December 14, 2017 - January 27, 2018
Opening Reception: Thursday, December 14th, 5-8pm
The Portuguese phrase Corpos de Prova translates to “bodies of test or proof” – a technical term for testing the limits of strength and resistance in regards to architecture and in particular concrete building materials. Lucas Simões’ practice explores the concepts of experimenting with balance, pressure and materiality – creating situations which test the limits of a structure and its inevitable and eventual loss of stability.
This presentation by Simões is a grouping of new sculptures, all sharing a dominant material focus, the use of concrete and paper. As a structural material, concrete serves a multi purpose function, serving as a base support for the foundation of a structure but also as the embodiment of strength and frame. However, within these works the concrete is in dialogue with the delicateness of paper and other materials, creating systems of unexpected dependance. The paper components serve as a strong hold for the concrete, leveling the materials’ importance in the overall sustain of the structure. There is a play between the paper and the concrete, where each materials symbolic weight and conventional function is challenged by its equal role in maintaining the shape of the compositions within the work. What we are presented with is a poetic equalizer of material, all components dependent of one another in order to collaboratively maintain the tension that keeps the forms in place.
Simões’ interests focus on exploring the functions of structures and systems, and subsequently their inevitable failure and deterioration as an organic component in the life of their material contexts. Foundation is conventionally approached as a premeditated step towards permanence, Simões’ practice however looks at the information that can be gained from a recognition of the inherent instability of a foundation. Wether through the lens of his interests with Modernist Architectural history or the simple colorful nuances of communication, Simões’ work is a an exploration of the organic dances of balance within bodies of material and form.
Installation view of Corpos de Prova
