Carlton Hotel project is the second part of a research on the Carlton, an iconic building of modernist architecture from the 1960s in Beirut. Designed by Polish architect Karol Shayer, it was destroyed in 2008 (date of the project’s creation). This project is multifaceted, always transforming into different forms and involving a series of collaborations: the first step took place as part of the “traveling curtains project”, which consisted in recuperating the curtains from the Carlton hotel before its demolition and sending them to different cities throughout the world where they would be subject to new interventions and transformations by artists, among whom Marwa Arsanios.
Untitled exemplifies the format that Anna Bella-Papp most commonly works in, using her hands to create delicate tablet-like reliefs within a rectangular form made out of clay. The lack of any glazes and other finishes used in traditionally in ceramics is a deliberate decision with an aim to preserve the pale hues and natural qualities of the clay. Papp’s decision to display the pieces resting flat on table tops, invites us to imagine them as landscapes or architectural structures seen from a bird’s-eye view.
Tectonic Model is made from a number of leather bound books piled up in different formations that resemble architecture on top of a sawhorse desk. Tiny cranes of about ten centimetres in height are attached to the top of the books, which have their tassels laid out. The intricately balanced arrangements, with some books standing free and upright, gives the impression that the cranes might have stacked the books themselves by lifting the tassels.
Anna Bella-Papp recalls how intuitive it felt the first time she modelled something out of clay as a child...
Marwa Arsanios is born in 1978 in Washington, United-States...
Carlton Hotel project is the second part of a research on the Carlton, an iconic building of modernist architecture from the 1960s in Beirut...
Tectonic Model is made from a number of leather bound books piled up in different formations that resemble architecture on top of a sawhorse desk...
Untitled exemplifies the format that Anna Bella-Papp most commonly works in, using her hands to create delicate tablet-like reliefs within a rectangular form made out of clay...