David Scanavino fabricating Candy Crush. Photograph by Shira Berkowitz, courtesy of the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts
The Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts (3716 Washington, 314-754-1850, pulitzerarts.org) is kicking off a new series, Reset, aimed at discovering new ways to boost audience interaction with events like breakdancing competitions, concerts, yoga classes, and workshops where kids construct forts from recycled materials. Reset's first installment happens tomorrow at 6 p.m., with a conversation with artist David Scanavino, followed by a musical performance by Née and the California Wives (from Chicago) starting at 7 p.m.
Scanavino is the creator of a temporary, site-specific floor installation in the main gallery of the Pulitzer, entitled Candy Crush, which he hopes will be a social space that visitors will free to move around on.
“It’s a huge piece, and it’s hard to describe,” says Scanavino. “It’s the first time I’ve ever done something like this. The piece itself is made specifically for the Pulitzer, so it’s the same size as the footprint of the main gallery hall, 88x24 feet. It torques at one point, so it’s sliding away from the architecture of the room, and it’s essentially sliding up the wall, 15 feet at one point. I’ve done a lot of floor pieces before, but this is the first one that climbs the wall and engages with the architecture in an aggressive way.” Laughing, he adds, “Usually the floor pieces are passive because they’re, you know, on the floor.”
What makes Scanavino’s floor sculpture even more sensational is the theme behind it. Candy Crush is a game most of us are familiar with (or addicted to) and guests will be able to move across the floor, as if they have magically jumped into the game, bright colors and all.
“It’s almost like a kindergarten classroom,” Scanavino explains. “It’s bright greens, and yellows, and reds. Hopefully it’s a very engaging social piece that people are going to want to walk on and run up and down on.”
The artist is excited by the Reset series and what it is trying to achieve, mentioning that he thinks it is a wonderful idea.
“The museum is such a beautiful environment and I think more people should experience it,” he says. “I love that at Reset there will be breakdancing competitions and I love that there’s going to be yoga and all these different social groups interacting on the same platform…It will be really inclusive to all types of people, and it’s great that they’re encouraging a younger generation to come experience the arts.”
For the full Reset schedule, visit pulitzerarts.org/events/public-programs.
