Industrial lofts generally require some kind of intervention in order to make them serve their new purpose. In the case of this loft, art is the main intervention. Prominent and colorful sculptures dictate the layout of the loft and dictate the observer's perception of the space. The overall impression is that of a surreal art gallery - private living quarters are unseen to the casual observer. Not only does the art define the space, it creates a truly memorable work/live environment.
"Sandman" is the artist alter ego of Sean Sobczak. Sean is a gifted sculptor who creates ethereal, large-scale sculptures of undersea creatures and mythical beasts. They are made of intricately welded wire-frames covered in hand-sewn fabrics infused with twinkling lights. Because of their size, Sandman needed a space large enough to both store the sculptures and house the workshop necessary to build them. His loft, located in downtown Los Angeles in a brick and concrete building formerly used as a bottling factory, is 3000 sqft. and is comprised of a large main room and gallery as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom located in the rear of the long, rectangular space.
When Sandman moved into the loft, he needed a large space appropriate for working on and displaying his sculptures, so he removed two existing walls near the front entrance. He also added a wall in the rear of the loft to form a second bedroom, which enables him to have guests and roommates. He built floor-to-ceiling shelving in one corner of the loft to store his large stock of fabric rolls and materials.
 |
| Giant Octopus at Left of Entry (storage space behind) |
The open floor plan allows Sandman to use one side of the loft as a workshop and the other side as a gallery/socializing space. The socializing space is defined by two couches and coffee table placed towards the center of the room and supported on one side by smaller-scale sculptures. The kitchen area is defined by a long counter top and leads to the workshop space. The private bedrooms are accessed through an inconspicuous door in the rear of the loft, between the socializing area and the kitchen.
 |
| Living Area Framed by Sculptures |
 |
| View at Roll-up Door (Workshop to the left) |
The loft has two means of ingress/egress and they are both located at one end of the loft - a door accessible from a hallway and a roll-up garage door opening onto a driveway and parking area. In order to let natural light and air into the space, the roll-up door is opened, revealing the gallery space to the public space outside.
 |
| View Looking Into Loft from Parking Area |
 |
| View Looking out of Loft |
As people drive or walk past, they see a sculpture of a large dragon that appears ready to leap out of the loft. Visitors who walk past or into the loft see all manner of giant sea creatures floating through the space and dragonflies hovering against the high ceiling. The size and multitude of luminescent and surreal forms creates a sense of being underwater or in an aquarium. In this case, the usual experience of an industrial loft is radically redefined by the art, making the art the main intervention in terms of defining a visitor's perception of the space.
Pros: Storage
Cons: Dust from nearby train yard
No comments:
Post a Comment