Planet Magazine: What’s the concept behind Dig? Daniel Arsham: In the fall we were invited by Richard Chai to do a temporary project underneath the High Line. Essentially what we did was create the illusion that this entire space had been filled with a solid form and then eroded away to leave this cavern within it, where Richard had a temporary shop.
Alex Mustonen: In a lot of ways we’re viewing [Dig] as a next step, or way to complete the exercise. We’re also experimenting with some different form-making techniques and sculptural languages. In the Chai store we used these hotwire cutters that Daniel’s used a lot in his art practice, that generate a very distinct language.
What we’re transitioning to for Dig is still entirely handmade, but this time Daniel is excavating with hammers and chisels. Literally all of the tools will be going into the installation, as props that will be used to excavate the space.
DA: It’s like Snarkitecture is making these maps for me, showing me which direction I should dig, where the tunnels should be, how they’ll meet, ways to measure within this solid volume. Once you’re inside this thing, there’s very little way to tell where the exterior walls are.
AM: It’s almost like you’re lost in a blizzard, and you don’t know where the road is. Part of what Snarkitecture is interested in is how to map a path through the space—also the different possibilities for how to communicate to Daniel how to inhabit it. It’s very different from a normal architectural drawing that describes the logic of how something is constructed. Dig is a bit alogical.