News, Apr 17, 2018
Ago and Tursack Design “Thick Skin” for A+D Museum

Architecture lecturers Viola Ago and Hans Tursack have designed “Thick Skin,” a large, monolithic object that takes inspiration from the geological impulse in the proto-Minimalist sculptures of Tony Smith, the Earth Artist Michael Heizer’s photo-stamped geometric environments, and 3D painting programs native to the digital animation industry.

Sited in the A+D Museum’s Island and Nook galleries, the work is a large visual intervention in the postindustrial fabric of the L.A. Arts District. During the day the graphic panels of the object cue viewers into a juxtaposition between the rapidly developing, hyper-urban condition of downtown LA, and the material realities of the inhuman landscapes that surround it. The piece exists somewhere between an installation, an architectural prototype, and a post-human monument.

Thick Skin originated as an experiment in visual and materials research at Taubman College, with additional sponsorship from Dupont Corian® Solid Surface materials, The 3M Company, Alro Steel, and Brilliant Graphics. It is on view through June 10, 2018.
Read more about the project here: https://aplusd.org/exhibition/thick-skin/

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