First look: Gabriel Dawe’s stunning new thread art in Italy.
Gabriel Dawe created Plexis no. 19, a stunning thread installation thats beautifully spread across two balconies in the atrium of a historic villa. The early 19th century neoclassic house, called Villa Olmo, was acquired in 1924 by the municipality of Como and is now open to the public only during cultural events and art exhibitions like this.
Plexus no. 19 consists of two thread structures streamed across an upper and lower balcony that is meant to be experienced from different angles or at different times of the day. As Dawe tells us, “When the sun comes in during the morning, it is fantastic. Having those window-shaped light beams add a dimension to the installation. I always like when I get direct sunshine on them because it emphasizes the layering of the thread in very interesting ways.”
With two assistants, he constructed this installation in about a week. His greatest challenge was working to the confines of the space. “Because of the historic nature of the building, I wasn’t able to touch ceiling, walls or floors to screw in my structures,” he says. “So I resorted to fixing them to the railings, which in great measure restricted what I was able to do. In the end, it worked out pretty well; it really exceeded my expectations how well the installation inhabits the space.”
Via My Modern Met.