Back in February of this year, the non-profit arts organization FIGMENT asked “What would an art pavilion made out of recycled materials and based around the idea of 'The City of Dreams' look like to you?.” Brooklyn-based STUDIOKCA beat out over 200 other submissions in the competition with their Head in the Clouds pavilion, now open to the public on Governors Island in NYC.
STUDIOKCA’s pavilion is a cloud-shaped structure that seeks to create a space where dreamers who inhabit the “city of dreams” can dream; a place to put your head (and body) in the clouds and dream that city of dreams.
Over the course of several months STUDIOKCA collected used bottles from organizations, businesses, schools, and individuals throughout New York City and beyond; the bottles were then repurposed to construct the pavilion by more than 200 volunteers. The project was funded in part through a successful Kickstarter campaign, which can be seen here.
Made of 53,780 recycled bottles - the amount thrown away in New York City in only 1 hour - Head in the Clouds is a space where visitors can enter into and contemplate the light and color filtering through the bottles from the inside, out. Sand, water, and a curved aluminum frame provide structural integrity and create a small seating/dreaming area at the base. The form is made out of a series of ‘structural pillows” made from 1 gallon jugs for the exterior, while 16 and 24 ounce water bottles filled with varying amounts of organic blue food coloring line the interior.
“The Head in the Clouds pavilion not only stands as a visual and physical example of the more than 60 million plastic bottles thrown away in the U.S. every day, we hope the process of creating the structure provides an example of a viable design and construction strategy for a more sustainable way of living and building - something we know is not a dream that is too far away.” - Jason Klimoski, Principal, STUDIOKCA
The pavilion will remain open on Governors Island until September 22nd.
