kendall buster

PARABIOSIS II, 2002

A variation on Parabiosis, this commissioned work was built for a specific site at the Washington, DC Convention Center. Covered in white greenhouse shadecloth rather than the sized drafting paper used in the original Parabiosis, inner forms were visible within curved outer walls and the sculpture appeared transparent when backlit by natural light.

Like Parabiosis, Parabiosis II was designed to operate like a model for a configuration of imagined pavilions. Viewed from below the underside of the ovoid dome-like structures suggested connected chambers of varied size and shape. It was as if a horizon line had been sliced through the model near floor height to allow for an unobstructed view below ground level. The convention center site also offered a bird’s eye view of the sculpture. Seen from above on the second level of the convention floor this ‘model’ could be seen in plan. Such a view not only suggested a configuration of interconnected buildings, but for me suggested budding microorganisms viewed through the lens of a microscope.

Wall and ceiling of the chambers in this architectural model were designed with compound curves and seamless transitions to suggest a living organism with endlessly morphing inner and outer membranes.

Parabiosis II, 2002
In collaboration with Siemon Allen
Commissioned for Washington DC Convention Center
Washington, DC
shadecloth, steel