At the invitation of the City of Munich, the New York artist Charles Simonds realizes the project “Dwelling Munich” from May to July 2017 – together with young people from Munich. Since the 1970s, Simonds has been building “Dwellings”, dwellings for the imaginary “Little People” in cities all over the world. They appear spontaneously and unannounced in public space, in niches and situations of upheaval, but they also surprise in commercial shop windows, on wall projections and on window sills. The artist consciously creates his works on the street. Simonds often works in neighborhoods where immigrant communities have found new homes. Because the idea of the “Dwellings” deals equally with the topics “home”, “staying around” and “building”. The artistic action is part of a social strategy. The aim is to absorb the different sociology and culture of the respective place, also in personal contact with the people.
When Charles Simonds devotes a whole day to creating miniature landscapes out of differently colored clay, tiny bricks, red sand and willow sticks, passers-by stop and stop. It is often children who ask curiously what he is doing or whether they could spontaneously participate. Simonds not only allows this, but has made cooperation with children, young people and students part of his concept for Munich. Joint “dwellings” have already been created in Schwabing and in a workshop at the Technical University.
A project of art in public space Munich, curated by Beate Engl, Luise Horn (Kunstraum Munich) and Stephanie Weber (Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus). Graphic by Ibrahim Öztaş.
In cooperation with the Kunstraum Munich, the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus, the Chair of Fine Arts Prof. Tina Haase at the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Munich, the Munich City Library Hasenbergl, the Willy-Brandt-Gesamtschule, the Wittelsbacher Gymnasium and the Gisela Gymnasium.
Charles Simonds, born in 1945 in New York, lives and works in New York.