pedro & juana conceives MoMA PS1 installation as 'immersive junglescape'

pedro & juana, the mexico city-based studio founded by ana paula ruiz galindo and mecky reuss, has installed an ‘immersive junglescape’ within the courtyard of MoMA PS1. the project, titled ‘hórama rama’, was the winner of the new york institution’s 20th annual young architects program — an initiative that offers emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design a temporary, outdoor installation that provides respite with shade, seating, and water. this year’s winning scheme is now open to the public, and remains on view until september 2, 2019.

image by kris graves, courtesy of MoMA PS1 (main image © rafael gamo)

pedro & juana’s design is a large-scale cyclorama featuring a panoramic image of the jungle on scaffolding that sits atop the courtyard of MoMA PS1 and catapults visitors into a wild, foreign territory. the nearly 40-foot-tall (12m), 90-foot-wide (27m) structure hovers over the courtyard space, re-framing the horizon and positioning visitors in an urban jungle. the project also serves as a temporary built environment for MoMA PS1’s outdoor music series, warm up.

image © rafael gamo

the presence of this large circular structure reconfigures the courtyard into an immersive environment that visitors can move in and out of, contrasting with the cityscape immediately adjacent to the museum. amplifying the experience, the installation features hammocks crafted in the south of mexico along with a functioning waterfall. the exterior of the structure features protruding wood ‘bristles’ that create a dynamic sense of movement.

image by kris graves, courtesy of MoMA PS1

‘for the 20th anniversary of the young architects program, each of the five finalists designed potential — of surface, of movement, of space, of structure — as narratives that both reveal and conceal,’ says sean anderson, associate curator in moma’s department of architecture and design. ‘pedro & juana’s world-within-a-world, hórama rama, is a manifold of views in which to see and be seen, to find and lose oneself in a radically different environment. the installation constructs a collection of scenes into which visitors may escape, even if for a moment, whether in a hammock or by the waterfall.’

image by kris graves, courtesy of MoMA PS1

‘finding inspiration in historical panoramas, pedro & juana have designed a structure that will allow visitors to immerse themselves in a fantastical wilderness, a visual refuge from the city,’ adds MoMA PS1 chief curator, peter eleey. ‘by juxtaposing two landscapes in transition — the jungle and the long island city skyline — they draw attention to the evolving conditions of our environment, both globally and locally, at a crucial moment.’

image by kris graves, courtesy of MoMA PS1

video courtesy of MoMA PS1

project info:

project leaders: pedro & juana — ana paula ruiz galindo and mecky reuss
team P&J: adriana carlos, vani monjaraz
location: MoMA PS1, 22-25 jackson ave, long island city, NY
on view: june 28 – september 2, 2019

scaffold: swing staging
hair modules: installers, SFDS
jungle panels: grupo mega rotulación, querétaro city, qro, mexico
fabrication volunteers (hair module builders): zachary enesi mulitauaopele, stephan anton van eeden, juan pablo uribe, valeria paez cala, sadie dempsey, julia di pietro, cirus henry, naitian yang, mireya fabregas, marcell aurel sandor, christine giorgio, shane algiere, shane algiere, kevin savillon, bennett kociak, nicolas carmona, sidney hoskulds-linet
hausmeisterservice: cage&cave
structural engineer: arup structures, shaina saporta, victoria valencia, james angevine
lighting: arup lighting, kristen garibaldi, xena petkanas, haniyeh mirdamadi; lighting bulbs donated by electric lighting agencies
waterfall consultant: jenna didier; arup plumbing, allison spencer
hammocks: entre nudos merida, yu, mexico
lumber: lenoble lumber, claudy narchet (sales)
model: julia dipietro, yuki nakayama
general contractor: fahey design build; michael fahey, AIA, christine fahey, michael kreha

special thanks to: josé esparza chong cuy, ana karen orozco ramirez, carlos verástegui hernández; carolina vales, joanna ruiz galindo, jennie gutérrez; roel schierbeek; irene sunwoo; sarah herda; maricris herrera; christian pineda; sebastian reuss; nile greenberg; robert herrmann; sean anderson, arièle dionne-krosnick, angela goding and the staff at MoMA and MoMA PS1; gianna paola at manducatis rustica for keeping us fed throughout the install; for their valuable advice: andres jaque, david benjamin, mimi hoang, amale andraos and art domanty; to our families and friends for their continuous support; and to all our volunteers that made this project possible.

additional support provided by: maestro dobel tequila and mezcal creyente, los tacos no. 1, MCINY (mexican cultural institute of NY) and SRE (secretaria de relaciones exteriores, méxico), and SCI-arc.