A new show at MOCA’s Pacific Design Center space is perfect for taking the kids. Gas Giant, which opened over the past weekend and will be on view until June 8, 2014, fills the two-story gallery space with hand-made paper kites – not diamond-shaped Ben Franklin kites, but both square and round Chinese kites. The artist, Jacob Hashimoto, is drawn to the idea of “sacred architecture,” and seeks to recreate the awe that comes from walking into a grand cathedral.
The first floor, pictured above, is full of black and white kites, but as you move to the second floor, the kites take fight into vibrant colors. For MOCA Pacific Design Center, Hashimoto is producing the third and final edition of Gas Giant. The work was previously presented in Venice, Italy in 2013 Fondazione Querini Stampalia by Studio la Citta and in Chicago in 2012 at Rhona Hoffman Gallery. Each time he reinstalls the show (which you can imagine is a time-consuming and delicate process), he adds to and changes the structure of the kites.
What we found most fun about the show is how people look as they interact with the space – suddenly the shape and color of the gallery visitors make the flatness of the kites come alive. Visitors can move in and around the kites, and if you blow on them, they will gently move in lovely waves.
As you can see, everyone was very camera happy in this room – it’s a terrific place to make some fun images.
