Art Basel 2016: Oscar Tuazon. Zome Alloy

For the duration of Art Basel, “Zome Alloy” a new structure by Los Angeles-based artist Oscar Tuazon, will be installed on Messeplatz in Basel. An adaptation of Steve Baer’s “Zome Alloy” (1972), the architectural structure will house a series of events throughout the week – a second version of the ‘Alloy Conference’ that was held in 1969. “Zome Alloy” is a lightweight structural wood shell, designed to accommodate the crowds of people that visit the fair and engage them in the question of what a house can be. Open along the entire south-facing facade, the pavilion takes the form of a single-family home opened to the public. Partially clad in aluminium, the structure is demountable and can be seen as an architectural system ready to go into production – a demonstration ‘zome’. The ‘zome’ system produces volumes that, unlike geodesic structures, can be stretched and elongated.