ell
ell.SF
Client : Self-Developed
Location : San Francisco, CA, USA
Status : Complete [2015-2020]
AREA: 800 FT² (74 M²)
ell.SF was the first rendition of a performance-based art space, produced by Jason Campbell (ell) and Sam Holtzman (last saturn).
With a 5-year lease in hand, a vacant storefront on the edge of San Francisco's financial district and Chinatown was converted into an art space and residency program for inter-disciplinary projects. The work produced leveraged the fervor of a talented cast of artists and designers, all interested in working across media and discipline, rooted in architectural discourse.
Our workflow would start with a primary artist with whom we developed a conceptual premise for a 3-4 mo. exhibition. We then worked with extraordinary artists from different facets of design [visual, culinary, fashion, performance, ... ] to respond to the current body of work, and to engage the storefront as a type, aesthetic, test-site, and economy - addressing the spatial dimension in contemporary art practice and alternative architectural practice models.
The remodel called for total demolition of the interior, restoration of the vertical grain douglas fir floors and board form concrete walls, new MEP systems, and FF&E. We began to explore the intersection of art and architectural practice. Exploration occurred through exhibition, screenings, workshops, talks, interviews, and performative responses from other artists or community members.
It was critical for the storefront to adapt to divergent media and programming. A custom 10’X10’ pivot / bifold wall that mediates the gallery space from a semi-formal meeting area. While the wall served as a symbol of flexibility, the various states of separation proved paramount in facilitating an evolving list of arts programming.