Simon Fujiwara

Simon Fujiwara (Inglaterrai nanha)

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/simon-fujiwara/ra

Interior Architecture

Shortly after receiving a degree in Architecture at Cambridge Simon went straight on to a two year fine art course in Frankfurt. His work bridges the gap between the two and he is currently undertaking a six month residency at the MAK centre for contemporary art and architecture in LA which will culminate in an exhibition at the Schindler house.

The basic concept running through his practice is that the most important experience of a space happens in the mind. 'The meaning of a buildings interior architecture is as much perceptual as it is physical' he says. Loading new meanings into existing physical forms is most evident in works such as Not Drinking Water where a neglected fountain in a station square was identically re-constructed indoors, creating a surreally interior 'public square'. The reversal of function challenged the visitor as to how exactly they should respond to the space while at the same time asking them to re-evaluate their experience of banal civic architecture.

A key question he works with is to what extent the division between interior and exterior space, public and private, is based on perceptions influenced by state and social conditioning. The 'Closet Gallery' explored this by bringing an absurd, overblown piece of interior furniture into the public realm with its contents showing a changing series of exhibitions and events for the Architectural Foundation. Built on the site of a former homeless shelter 'The Closet' had in mind the way in which homelessness crosses the public/private boundary - as a domestic life that is lived in public space.

Simon would like to develop his studio in the UK and spend a more exploratory productions period with the pressure of commissions.

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