Youth Insights Teens Meet Architect, Andres Jaque
Jul 9, 2015
Andres Jaque talks to YI teens at MoMa PS1, July 2015. Photograph by Hannah Celli
On July 9, Youth Insights teens visited MoMA PS1 in Queens and met Spanish architect Andres Jaque. Jaque’s firm, Office for Political Innovation, was the winner of the 2015 Young Architects Program (YAP), which invites emerging architects to create a temporary installation for the courtyard at PS1. Jaque spoke to us about his installation, COSMO (2015), an outdoor sculpture comprising a network of pipes that purify New York City sewage water. It was interesting to hear Jaque talk about COSMO; I learned that it takes a long time to come up with an idea for a project and even longer to produce the piece. Making a work of art is not easy; especially when you are trying to create something that can serve a functional purpose.
Jaque’s installation, COSMO (2015). Photograph by Hannah Celli
After talking to Jacque, we explored MoMA PS1. Wael Shawky’s video trilogy, Cabaret Crusades (2015), grabbed my attention. For his first solo exhibition in an American museum, the artist used ceramic and glass puppets to tell the story of the Crusades from an Arabic perspective. Shawky treats all of his puppets like real actors; they each have their own wardrobe and makeup session before every shoot. I enjoyed Shawky’s work because it taught me about the relationship between the European and Arab military in an unusual way. Shawky’s work is sharp, spooky, and alive. I would definitely visit the exhibition again.
By Maria, YI participant