The Lofts at Smack Mellon, 2008

The Lofts at Smack Mellon sites miniature condominium developments in small available spaces within Smack Mellon1s waterfront gallery as part of the 2008 Site 92 exhibition. The small buildings, constructed from photographs of actual developments in DUMBO and neighboring areas of Brooklyn, turn up along high ledges, at the top of drywall structures, and on protrusions on metal columns. The project juxtaposes the industrial history of 92 Plymouth Street, evident in its raw cement and iron construction, with the could-be-anywhere glossy architecture of the new condominiums. This miniature contrast stands in for the larger cultural and economic changes in DUMBO and beyond, as industrial neighborhoods are gentrified, often by artists. By locating the mini-developments in small, strange spaces in the gallery, the project points to the rapacious pace of residential development
in Brooklyn, and plays with the tendency of these new structures to occupy
every nook of available space.