Lowe's Park Pavilion

Lowe's Park Pavilion

Lowe's Park Pavilion at the NCMA

Disclaimer: unfortunately, these photos are not my own. I have visited this exhibit before, but cannot find any of the photos I took.

This is an outdoor exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art. This piece is all about using art as shelter and breaking the barrier between being inside and outside, as you're experiencing both when visitng this exhibit. The ramp to the entrance of the pavilion remains level, but the ground slopes downward which further separates you from the ground, givng you this feeling as if you're floating. This further disconnects you from the physicality of being outside and interacting with the earth. Once you enter the pavilion, the first thing you see is this massive opening at the other end. This forces your perspective outside, and it frames the other structures across the hill while directing your attention out to the landscape. The walls are a perforated metal and the wall to the right has no window-like openings and therefore forces the eye to look somewhere else. It's "hiding" the landscape behind it.
The metal adds to the purpose of "shelter" as it's a sturdy material and the structure can be used as protection from the hot sun, rain, etc. But the perforation still maintains interaction with nature as sunlight can pour in, breezes can flow through, birds and bugs can visit, etc.
It has a youthful and nostalgic presence to it as it's reminiscent of pavilions I visited in elementary school for various functions like birthday parties and cookouts. I also know that art classes for children are held in this space sometimes, and that knowledge adds to that youthful feel to the space.

Mike Cindric and Vincent Petrarca

2007