14 Creatives Interpret Follies in Art
Portfolio curated by Kat Herriman
In L'OFFICIEL's Winter 2020 issue, architect Adam Charlap Hyman explores his personal fascination with folly-making as a form of art and escapism in the modern world. As he explains, on principle, follies toe the line between ordinary and other-worldly, transmitting the feeling that order and comfortability in the space is just out of reach. At several points in history, the follies of different artists were deemed perverse or deviant as they broke strict societal codes about structure and rationality. While Hyman was initially inspired by Emilio Terry and Alexandre Serebriakoff's work in the garden of the Château de Groussay, his passion has led him across Europe and America in search of new and exciting presentations of this architectual layout. In conjunction with his essay, L'OFFICIEL gathers the work of 14 contemporary artists who interpret the concept of folly-making.
“I was thinking of the folly as something simultaneously real and imaginary—something that is its own thing and a reference to something else.”
“These nine identical, asymmetrical, geometric pavilions are each placed on a different side and designed to be shown together in a commons; a campus courtyard, public garden, or square, etc., and in a variety of possible configurations. They would be 13.5’ x 7.5 x 10’ and made of cross laminated timber, enabling use and occupation for isolation, contemplation, or dialogue.”
“This is a concept proposal to use one of the open outdoor structures at my studio as a temporary voting booth folly. When multiplied and stacked atop themselves, a fabric awning bearing the American flag is transformed from a shade shield into a privacy barrier, and a security camera becomes the all-seeing eye.”
L'OFFICIEL USA Winter 2020 is now on newsstands.
