john margaritis fills concrete tanks with floating basketballs at VLONE pop-up in wynwood, miami

in miami’s wynwood district, new york-based artist john margaritis has installed a series of five sculptural tanks each containing buoyant basketballs that calmly float within heavy rectangular volumes. situated inside the ‘art basel pop-up shop’ for VLONE — the streetwear brand brainchild of A$AP bari — the artwork forms part of margaritis’ ‘water box’ series, first presented in new york and now re-imagined for miami art week 2016. each of the boxes has been built in-situ and by hand using wooden frames and hand-poured structural reinforced concrete. 

a view of the installation inside the VLONE pop-up shop in miami’s wynwood district
video © designboom

a carefully calculated system of pipes connects each concrete tank to a network of tubes placed behind the back wall. this complex structure is constantly maintained throughout the course of the exhibition in order to create the right balance between fluid and pressure within the vessel. margaritis — founder of clothing brand and creative studio new york sunshine — has infilled each of the basketballs with antifreeze. the fluid, with its properties heavy than water, sinks the orbs slightly within the tank. as the system of pipes monitors the pressure of liquid within the concrete forms, the balls remain buoyant and slowly meander throughout the larger-than-life sized tanks.

the all-white basketballs are buoyant within the tank
gif © designboom

new york sunshine’s installation has been created especially for VLONE’s wynwood miami pop-up shop this year. on the building’s façade, a mural recently completed by australian artist pauly bonomelli is illustrated in VLONE’s signature orange and black colors and highlights the word ‘FRIENDS’ — a theme seen across sweatshirts and tees on sale inside. 

 
the boxes have been built by hand using wooden frames and hand-poured structural reinforced concrete
image courtesy of john margaritis

last year, during miami art week 2015, margaritis installed 130 feet of wavy wooden shelving displaying an edition of 300 hand-dyed indigo shirts, each numbered as an edition of art. located right next door to the new installation for VLONE, ‘high tide’ gradually becomes a deeper, darker blue as visitors immerse themselves within the space. 

the handmade tanks are full of expression due to their artisinal finishes
image courtesy of john margaritis

the concrete tanks have been molded on site in miami 
image courtesy of john margaritis

margaritis has infilled each of the basketballs with antifreeze, a fluid with properties heavy than water
image courtesy of john margaritis

portrait of luke o’connor (left) and john margaritis (right) of new york sunshine
image © designboom

john margaritis tells us about the poured concrete molds
video © designboom

image courtesy of akhil sesh/@akhilsesh

inside the VLONE satellite location, with the installation ‘water box’ installation by john margaritis
image © designboom

the careful balance of pressure is filtered through to the concrete tanks
image © designboom

a carefully calculated system of pipes connects each concrete tank to a network of tubes placed behind the back wall
image © designboom

recurring image in magariti’s work: our lady of guadalupe on the way to los cerritos, baja sur, mexico
image courtesy of john margaritis

each of the five concrete tanks was poured into these wooden forms on site
image © designboom

inside the VLONE art basel pop-up event in wynwood
video © designboom

a mural by australian artist pauly bonomelli is completed on the façade

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