A boat and related equipment are joined together in a welded metal frame. Everything is painted in a unifying plastic layer to resemble the surface of a model kit. The real boat is transformed into a model of itself, and its original purpose has given way to something else.
TOYS’R’US was made for the exhibition Besökarna (the Visitors) in a new part of Malmö, the Western Harbour, built for the housing fair Bo01 in 2001. The area was developed as a demonstration project to provide a model for future cities. Today, six years later, it still feels like a model. The artificial atmosphere still awaits to break loose from its surrounding plastic sticks.
TOYS’R'US – Dingy scale 1:1, 2006
Mixed Media: dinghy, boat equipment, welded metal frame, spraypaint
Dimensions: 2 x 2,6 m.
Installation view: Besökarna, Västra Hamnen, Malmö (S)
