Cracked open like a coat (or pair of pants), the walls of this structure in England, have been opened up to expose its abandoned interior ahead of its scheduled demolition.
“Open to the Public” is an art installation by Alex Chinneck located in Kent that deconstructs a mid-century tannery to create a mind-bending, giant-sized illusion of flexibility alongside solid surfaces.
Wood columns, glass windows and plaster walls all seem to bend and morph in uncanny ways. Along one face, the building is zipped down the center — along another, a zipper seems to slide sideways just below the roof.
The artist describes the work as “theatrical and surreal,” and notes that the zipper approach is a nod to the clothing that was fabricated inside the architectural shell.
“When introducing a narrative, we take complex paths to get to simple moments, which are quite accessible and conceptually light – we kept it playful with the zipping element.” This is also not his first deconstruction project.
