by: Jessica Sheridan Assoc. AIA LEED AP
Chanel Contemporary Art Container.
Jessica Sheridan
Much to my surprise, I enjoyed my tour through the Chanel Contemporary Art Container, a traveling installation designed by Zaha Hadid, Hon. FAIA. Inspired by a quilted handbag, I was expecting an interesting form with a creative use of materials, but I was not expecting how integrated and connected the architecture would be with the art, nor that the experience would be so intimate and feminine.
The myth of the black hole that is a woman’s handbag is rather cliché; nevertheless, the pavilion embraces it full-force. A small iPod led me through a guided tour narrated by Jeanne Moreau through the spiraling spaces, from one artwork to the next, in an attempt to make me feel lost in a parallel world of fuzzy materials, sexuality, and curved enclosures. From the parallelogram-shaped floor tiles to the fabric-wrapped skeleton, I literally felt as if I was walking through the folds of a leather purse.
My biggest criticism with the pavilion is not with the architecture, but with its inaccessibility to the public. To place a work of art in the middle of Central Park that is hosted by a brand like Chanel and designed by a “starchitect,” and then to provide a limited number of tickets that one had to reserve months in advance (thanks to a coworker, I was able to get one of the last slots), is a sign of elitism that is against everything public art should stand for. Although there was a stand-by line, I hear that many were turned away because there were not enough time slots and the pavilion isn’t installed for a long enough period of time. I do not feel privileged that I had the chance to experience the pavilion; I feel disappointed that I could not share it with others.