Toronto Royal Ontario Museum | ?m | ?s | Daniel Libeskind

What happens if taggers deface it? Can it be easily cleaned/replaced?
Will litter accumulate in the grooves?
 
Slightly off topic - building on what CN has already brushed upon, are any of Libeskind's other projects (completed or in the pipeline) set in an urban context as intense as ROM's? Neither Denver Art Musem nor the Jewish Museum strikes me as particularly so.

AoD
 
With the Jewish Museum, it's a different kind of "intense". But, if you're thinking of "intensively urban"...
 
I think if any creature were to tag - or scratch, or paint, or graffiti, mark, vandalize, bend, fold, staple or mutilate this creation, woe betide them!
I think they would find themselves strapped spreadeagled to one of the enormous metallic faces as the summer sun works its way across from one side to the other. There, exposed to public mockery, they would frizzle, fry and fricassee in the overlapping reflections of scalding light, as if strung upon a cubist sundial of doom!

Is that too harsh?
 
Why do I have a feeling parts of it will be subjected to postering.
Perhaps a 'Post No Bills' message featuring Bill Cobsy, Clinton, Gates, etc.
 
Such a high profile and busy area is not ideal for guerilla posterers. And this is a museum after all, there will be round the clock security and video surveillance. Anybody postering will likely be seen and caught. I don't think posters will be a problem whatsoever.
 
... and before anybody mentions the AIDS art piece outside, the ROM site is still a construction site, hence the posters on the hoarding et al.
 
I sure hope you're right.

I'm afraid some 'artist' will see defacing a $200+ million dollar expansion by today's super-star architect, as a valid expression.
 
The AIDS sculpture is meant to attract graffiti as part of the cultural context.

As to punishment for potential vandalizers...hmm, aluminium is a good conductor of heat and electricity, no? Ideas, ideas...

AoD
 
Canadian Architect

Link to article

Royal Ontario Museum unveils Daniel Libeskind’s Spirit House Chair

In advance of the June 2nd opening of the new Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM), architect Daniel Libeskind and Toronto furniture designer Klaus Nienkämper have unveiled a new limited edition, custom built piece of furniture entitled the Spirit House Chair, inspired by the architectural peaks and facades of Libeskind’s Lee-Chin Crystal.

The contemporary, multi-faceted Spirit House Chair is architect Daniel Libeskind’s first foray into the world of furniture. The chair is constructed entirely of 14-gauge stainless steel with a brushed finish and weighs 180 lbs. It is designed to be oriented in five different positions and can be used as a side-table. Each chair takes 40 hours of labour to complete. As a special finishing touch, each chair will have Libeskind’s signature etched onto it.

“Libeskind’s design for the ROM’s new addition lends itself well to small-scale interpretations so it was a natural step for us to conceive a modern piece of furniture that would represent this monumental occasion,†said Klaus Nienkämper, President and Founder of Nienkämper Furniture. “The steel structure of the chair is symbolic of the Lee-Chin Crystal’s strong steel foundation, its unique concept and its permanence on the Toronto landscape.â€

The chair is named for the space at the heart of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal called the Spirit House, where the structural support beams unite to form an open space that will be filled with a soundscape reflecting various aspects of the Museum. Thirteen Spirit House Chairs will be placed on Level 1 of the Spirit House, so visitors can use it as a place of contemplation and reflection, three will be placed at the front entrance to the Lee-Chin Crystal and two will be on display in the new ROM Museum Store.

The chair is being manufactured by Nienkämper Furniture & Accessories Inc. of Toronto and will be available for purchase after June 2nd through the Nienkämper store, KLAUS by Nienkämper, on King Street West in Toronto. Please visit www.klausn.com for contact details.

“We are extremely grateful to both Daniel Libeskind and Klaus Nienkämper for their collaboration on this remarkable piece of furniture, adding another unique dimension to the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal," said William Thorsell, Director and CEO of the ROM. "It's gratifying also that the Spirit House Chair will have a life outside the ROM, as it will certainly appeal to discerning people around the world. The Museum is accessioning one Chair into our decorative arts collection for the appreciation of future generations."

On June 2nd, 2007, the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal, the centrepiece of the Renaissance ROM expansion project, opens to the public. The 175,000-square-foot, aluminium-and-glass-covered Lee-Chin Crystal will house seven permanent galleries overlooking Bloor Street West, a new main entrance and lobby, the ROM Museum Store, Crystal Five (C5) Restaurant Lounge and special events facilities, as well as Canada’s largest space for international exhibitions.

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Interesting piece of furniture, no doubt. But instead of calling it the "Spirit House Chair", let's call it the "Toronto Chair", just like Mies van der Rohe's famous "Barcelona Chair".
 

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