User:Npeterswiki/Indianapolis Island

Indianapolis Island is a public artwork by American artist Andrea Zittel, located in the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park, in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The artwork consists of an inhabitable, white fiberglass structure that is mounted onto a floating dock system and installed in the 100 Acres lake. Each summer season it is occupied by resident(s) who can choose to modify the island's structure and interior design according to his or her own individual needs.

Description
The artwork is in the form of an organic, rounded pod structure that is approximately 20’ in length and has a domed roof. The structure is made from a polyurethane foam, which is then coated with a fiberglass-resin matrix and a white Gel-Coat mixture. After the Gel-Coat cures, it functions as a protective shell for the initial foam layers as well as the interior living space. The artwork is complete with a wooden door, mounted with its own knob and lock hardware. The structure contains a circular front deck area where the fiberglass slopes at an angle, creating a built-in seating area. There is a rowboat that is brought out to the lake's shore seasonally to provide transportation to and from the island for the current resident(s) and his or her visitors.

The objects contained within the living space are in constant flux, in congruence with the transient nature of its inhabitants, who are to be seasonal, temporary residents of the island. Indianapolis Island is installed in 100 Acres’ 35-acre lake. It is floated on a permanent dock structure that is anchored by two concrete blocks from the shoreline.

Historical information
Andrea Zittel, and her A-Z Enterprise, focuses on designing and fabricating artwork and installations that draw their inspiration from modern design aesthetics and architecture. Zittel has been exploring the concept of creating habitable islands for years and her artwork, Indianapolis Island, correlates with her ongoing theme of blurring the lines between life and art. The artist anticipates the installation being used as a living space inhabited by temporary residents who will then modify the space according to their own individual needs. As a result, the island is capable of constantly morphing and evolving into a different space, both physically and conceptually. Andrea Zittel commented on the concept of Indianapolis Island in saying, "The idea of an island appeals to me as representation of many of the values that we strive for in our 21st-century culture: individualism, independence, autonomy, and self-sufficiency. Yet at the same time, these are the same desires that isolate us and lessen collective social and political power. I am fascinated at how the things that set us free are also the same things that oppress us; you could say that the concept of the deserted island is both our greatest fantasy and our greatest fear."

Island residency
The residency completed by Dunn and Runge focused on the interaction and exchanges between island dweller and visitor. Their mission was to embrace the “give and take” nature of the artwork and reflect the concept of adaptation and evolution within their own personal experiences as well as their interaction with the public. During Dunn and Runge's stay on the island, the public was able to access and share their experiences through a wide spectrum of interactions. These experiences included personal Island visits, Island trades, floating lectures, floating messages, and communication through blogging. Ball's residency focuses on bringing awareness to the water quality of the 100 Acres lake and includes developing a system that utilizes the filtering properties of mushrooms that may help reduce the level of contaminates in the water. Before starting her residency, Ball will construct mycofilters from hemp, wood chips, and mushroom mycelium, which will be placed in the lake in an attempt to lower E.coli levels in the water over time. Ball will test the lake water frequently and document her findings on her blog.
 * Give and Take, 2010, Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge.
 * No Swimming, 2011, Katherine Ball.

Location history
This artwork was fabricated by Barnacle Bros: Sculpture & Custom Fabrication, a professional fabrication studio based out of Los Angeles, CA. The company's founder, Alessandro Thompson, and his associates transported the artwork in segments to Indianapolis, IN and finished its fabrication on site at the IMA along with Zitell, who was also present for this process. The artwork was installed on the floating dock system and launched onto the lake in April of 2010, and ready for the park's opening in May of 2010.

Acquisition
Indianapolis Island is currently on temporary loan at the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Artist
Andrea Zittel (b. 1965) lives and works in Joshua Tree, California. She received her MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990 and a BFA with honors from San Diego University. She has been the subject of one-person exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art at Altria and the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York, the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, and the Vancouver Art Gallery in Canada. Zittel has been included in numerous group shows at institutions such as Kunstmuseum Bonn in Germany, the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., the National Art Center in Tokyo, Van Abbemuseum in the Netherlands, the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea in Rome, and the Museum fur Gegenwartskunst in Basel, Switzerland. Awards she has recieived include the AICA Award for Best Architecture or Design Show in 2007, the College Art Association Distinguished Body of Work Award in 2006, and the Lucelia Artist Award from the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2005.

Condition
Indianapolis Island is reviewed monthly from the shore to determine any major impact from its lake location and to check for any type of dock failure. The artwork is also periodically examined within close proximity, via rowboat, in order to accurately assess any major defects in the structure. These trips take place seasonally, with more frequent surveys taken place in the months directly preceding a new resident’s occupancy. Documentation of the contents within the living space is an important component to the artwork and is an ongoing project.