As part of the “Community of Images” exhibition, we are pleased to invite artist and urban planner Yukihisa Isobe to revisit his connection to Philadelphia and New York City of the 1960s and 70s, and his inflatable artwork, Air Dome (1970).
In a 2024 interpretation of Air Dome commissioned for the “Community of Images” exhibition, Philadelphia artist Aaron Igler will lead the design and programming of a community-built dome structure titled DÔME DO.WE (a space for reset). The project is conceived as a site for collaborative skillshare, small group dialog, a lecture program, sonic performances, film screening, and more.
Monday–Thursday, August 5–8, 2024
The Oval (formerly Eakins Oval)
Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia / Google Maps >>
This program is presented as part of the upcoming exhibition “Community of Images: Japanese Moving Image Artists in the US, 1960s–1970s” which will take place June 14–August 9, 2024, at the Philadelphia Art Alliance. Visit the Exhibition Website >>
Program Description
Sited within the monumental Sycamore grove of Eakins Oval on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and rooted in the concept of mutually supporting systems, DÔME DO.WE (a space for reset) will investigate geodetic models as they relate to Isobe’s work, contextualized by his creative influences, including the pioneering landscape architect Ian McHarg (Penn) and the architect/futurist Buckminster Fuller, who each developed groundbreaking ideas focused on humans relational role within built and biological environments as a way of better understanding, managing, and preserving the earth.
DÔME DO.WE (a space for reset) will be built and activated with the assistance of community participants, foregrounding a design/build process and creative engagement as fundamental goals, continuing Philadelphia history as a center for creative thinking and artistic community. Project construction will be led by John Farrell of Seven Seas Contracting, LLC.
Join Our Project!
The construction of the geodesic dome is scheduled to take place August 5–6, 2024, and will be a community-oriented, learning-based process. We invite anyone interested in how a geodesic dome is constructed and meeting others with the same interests! Please register below to apply. The deadline for registration is July 15, 2024.
For complete information about this program and the “Community of Images” exhibition, please visit the exhibition website.
Acknowledgments
This program is presented in partnership with the Parkway Council and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation as part of The Oval 2024 programming.
“Community of Images” is co-presented by Collaborative Cataloging Japan and Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia. Major support has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from the Andy Warhol Foundation, the Toshiba International Foundation, Pola Art Foundation, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and Japan Foundation.
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Cover Image: Detail of photo documentation, Ko Nakajima, Ryūdōtai Projector, 1969 © Ko Nakajima.
