Ivy Climbing Wall
Decorative Arts and Design

Ivy Climbing Wall
Artwork Details
Artist/Maker
Joris Laarman (Dutch, born 1979), designer
Joris Laarman Lab, Dutch, established 2004, manufacturer
Joris Laarman Lab, Dutch, established 2004, manufacturer
Date
2004
Medium
Composite concrete
Accession #
2010.308
Dimensions
various
Location
On View - Wieland Pavilion, Skyway, Gallery 420
Description
Dutch designer Joris Laarman is at the forefront of contemporary design with his conceptual, experimental creations that explore scientific boundaries. The Ivy climbing system is simultaneously a functional, adventurous mode of traveling between floors, an alternative to stairs, and an elegant piece of architectural décor. Laarman works to alter traditional perspectives on functionalism: “I wanted to demonstrate that modernist functionality and postmodernist effusiveness do not have to exclude each other … that functionalists are also sinners of styling and that soberness is not always more valid than highly decorative form.”