The Head in the Clouds pavilion is the main gathering space for FIGMENT’s 2013 summer-long exhibition on New York’s Governors Island. Chosen from over 200 submissions, our winning proposal for the City of Dreams Pavilion competition (sponsored by American Institue of Architects New York ENYA, Structural Engineers Association of New York, and FIGMENT) comes out of the desire to create a “place to dream in the city of dreams”. After all, the city of dreams is filled with dreamers, and those dreamers need a place to dream that city of dreams..
Made from 53,780 recycled bottles - the amount, thrown away in NYC in 1 hour - it is a space where visitors can enter into and contemplate the light and color filtering through the "cloud' from the inside, out. A series of "pillows" made from one gallon jugs form the exterior, while sixteen ounce and twenty-four ounce bottles line the interior. Sand, water, and a curved aluminum frame provide structural integrity and create a small seating/dreaming area for 50 people at the base. We collected used bottles from organizations, businesses, schools, and individuals throughout New York City and beyond, then repurposed the bottles to construct the pavilion. More than 200 volunteers from the arts, architectural, and community at large helped us build and assemble the pavilion. The pavilion was funded in part through a successful crowdfunding campaign through Kickstarter and chosen as Kickstarter's Project of the Day on Feb 14, 2013.
Head in the Clouds is open to the public June 2013--come visit this summer! What do you see as the light shifts through the bottles, and the wind gently blows over the form? What will you dream about, with your head (and body) in the cloud? The City of Dreams?
SPECIAL THANKS:
Two Trees Management, Dumbo BID, Front Street Pizza, Brooklyn Roasting Company, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, Center for Architecture, New York Road Runners, NYCRUNS, City of Philadelphia, Babylon Memorial Grade School, our Kickstarter supporters, and all of our volunteers (full list coming soon!)
AWARDS / RECOGNITION
2016 Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award
2014 Architizer A+ Award, Finalist, Category: Pavilion
2014 AIA Small Project Award
2013 Interior Design Best of Year Award, Category: Installation
Photo credits: Chuck Choi
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