Dungeon Crawl
2006
foam, balsa wood, plaster, paint
12 × 17 × 24 in
foam, balsa wood, plaster, paint
12 × 17 × 24 in
In 2006, I began working with the gallerist Catriona Jeffries. That summer she moved the gallery from a small storefront located on a main street to a large building in an industrial area, inaugurating the new space with a group exhibition comprising a new work from each of the gallery artists.
I created a model of the newly renovated gallery in the style of tabletop role-playing games, such as Warhammer or Dungeons and Dragons. I followed how-to instructions on making such sets for gaming that I found online. Certain aspects of the gallery space were translated into the castle- like model: the roll-up doors of the loading bay became drawbridges and the mezzanine of the office overlooking the gallery space was treated with crenellations.
A ‘dungeon crawl’ is a particular type of Dungeons and Dragons game. The object of this game is for the players to wander through an imaginary architecture to collect as much loot as possible, killing whatever monsters guard this treasure. As with video games, the encounters for the players are somewhat scripted—the battles get progressively harder, leading to a final clash with the ‘big boss.’ I found it interesting that the architecture of the gallery space mirrored that of an RPG or video game—a visitor would first pass through the exhibition space, perhaps take a detour into the storage or preparation area, then climb upstairs to the office area and finally end up in the office of the gallerist herself.