ronald van der meijs comments on consumerism with squaring the sphere

ronald van der meijs comments on consumerism with squaring the sphere
all images courtesy of ronald van der meijs

dutch architect and designer ronald van der meijs was selected as one of 20 to participate in the 2015 sculpture space residency, which takes place over two months in utica new york. the north eastern city — approx. 50 miles east of syracuse — is one of many rust belt cities that suffered severe economic decline from the mid-20th century onwards. as industry disappeared, so did the town’s population, leaving countless warehouses and residences to rot with time.

the fully inflated structure with its umbilical cord of hoses, brass air valve and pump

van der meijs’ concept — titled ‘squaring the sphere’ — is based on the never-ending growth and decay sequence of consumerism. the installation is composed of specially connected plastic bags that inflate and deflate every nine minutes — all the while making the crinkling sound associated with their physicality. slowly, the identity of the piece transforms from a form almost bursting from its seams, to a shrunken, dead hunk of material. the shape, when fully erect, resembles an old-fashioned glass tv screen bulb; an intentional move that inextricably links television to notions of consumerism and modern advertising.

plastic shopping bags used were sealed and connected by hand in order to create the final form. integrated into each is a pvc connected, which connects to a flexible 5mm air hose. all brass components were designed and produced by van der meijs himself. the intervention was displayed during van der meijs’ residency in august of this year, in an empty warehouse on whitesboro street in utica, new york, USA. 

the shape and extended pump refers to an older T.V.’s screen bulb  

the concave side of the structure amplifies the sound of the creaking bags

a white styrofoam ball ensures the release of overpressure and prevents damage to the plastic bags

when fully deflated, the form transforms into completely different, dilapidated identity

in order to deflate the structure faster, the styrofoam ball shuts off the small hole in the airhose

to pump up all 260 bags quickly, the hoses are interconnected to form 62 pieces that are directly filled

fully deflated plastic chopping bags with punched out handles

‘squaring the sphere’ installation by ronald van der meijs

project info:

size: 570 x 330 x 310 cm (w x h x d) when fully inflated
materials: HDPE plastic shopping bags (recycled plastic), pvc airtubes, electronics, side channel air pump, brass components
year: 2015
location: warehouse, whitesboro street, utica, new york, USA

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions  feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: nick brink | designboom