A Lifelike 'Biomorphic Wall' Grows In Brooklyn

Chico MacMurtrie and Amorphic Robotic Works' latest in inflatable architecture comes to life at Pioneer Works this Sunday.

by Sami Emory

May 8, 2015, 6:00pm

BioMorphic Wall by Chico MacMurtrie / ARW. Pioneer Works, Center for Art and Innovation, 2015. All images courtesy of Pioneer Works

A wall of breathing robotic architecture by Chico MacMurtrie and his team at Amorphic Robotic Works (ARW) hangs from the exposed wood of Pioneer Works’ gallery ceiling. The Biomorphic Wall's 32, 30’ high tensile fabric tubes hang lifelessly, awaiting their cue—as soon as compressed air enters the sculpture, the stationary vines slowly curve and flex into a wall of movement. Once awoken, the tubes remain in a state of constant flux, expanding outwards and bending upwards, like an IRL timelapse of amoeba cultures or a gargantuan fabric balloon animal.

This current installation is part of MacMurtrie and ARW’s larger series entitled Inflatable Architecture which are scattered throughout the world’s most revered contemporary art instituations, including the Museo de la Reina Sofia in Madrid and the National Museum of China in Beijing. “Biomorphic Wall translates MacMurtrie's ongoing investigation of organic forms, movements, and interactions often rendered as imaginary manifestations of the cellular world on a magnified scale,” explains the press release. “Biomorphic Wall together with his previous installations, including Organic Arches and Chrysalis, give us a direct, visceral experience of the kinds of minute geometric constructions that underlie all of life.”

Chico MacMurtrie and ARW’s Biomorphic Wall will be on view at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn on May 10th for the upcoming Second Sundays event. Click here for more information.