Dupont Underground Re-Ball, DC

Raise/Raze by Hou de Sousa | Photo Courtesy of Dupont Underground

Affair: Dupont Underground Re-Ball

When: Saturday, April 30 - Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Hot Spot: Dupont Underground, Washington, DC

Deets: Re-Ball! is the result of Dupont Underground’s partnership with the National Building Museum to reuse the hundreds of thousands of translucent 3-inch plastic balls that were part of the museum’s blockbuster BEACH installation last summer. In addition to donating the balls, the National Building Museum's Executive Director Chase Rynd served on the competition jury. 

The Re-Ball! design competition call-for-entries closed on March 4th with over 150 registrants, which included 92 proposals from 19 different countries. All submissions can be viewed at re-ball.org. 

The winning proposal was submitted by Hou de Sousa, an award-winning architecture and design studio based in New York City. Raise/Raze transforms the 650,000 three-inch, translucent plastic balls from the National Building Museum’s Beach exhibit into an assembly block system that is fully reconfigurable. While the installation will open with pre-assembled “zones”, visitors will be free to alter the installation to create their own objects and spaces

“The response we received for Re-Ball! was amazing. While there were many local entrants, we also received entries from all over the world, from artists and designers across many disciplines", said Philippa Hughes. "The combination of our unique space, an intriguing design problem, and a stellar jury of internationally known curators and designers, really elevated the profile of this competition.” 

Created in collaboration with District design studio Archotus, the Re-Ball! competition was open to everyone: artists, architects, designers, and the general public. The competition asked entrants to repurpose the plastic balls in a way that engaged and responded to the unique qualities of the Dupont Underground’s east platform, a massive, curving, 14,000-square-foot venue. Complete ReBall! information is available at the competition website: re-ball.org. 

The Phillips Collection, the venerated museum of Modern art that sits just blocks from the Dupont Underground space, is also a Re-Ball! institutional partner. The Phillips' Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Vesela Sretenovic also served on the jury. Additionally, the museum will work with the Dupont Underground on cultural event programming and venue collaboration during the exhibition’s run. 

About the Dupont Underground

The Dupont Underground, a nonprofit organization, is revitalizing a forgotten piece of Washington, D.C., history — the old streetcar station beneath Dupont Circle — as an exciting new venue for arts and design; live music, theater, and dance; and other creative endeavors. We seek to establish a cultural destination that partners with emerging voices, encourages public engagement in arts and culture, and leverages our long-term development as a catalytic force for the District in the 21st century. 

About the National Building Museum

The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. 

About the Phillips Collection

The Phillips Collection, America’s first museum of Modern art, is one of the world’s most distinguished collections of Impressionist and Modern American and European art. Stressing the continuity between art of the past and present, it offers a strikingly original and experimental approach to Modern art by combining works of different nationalities and periods in displays that change frequently. The Phillips Collection is a private, non-government museum, supported primarily by donations. 

Hint For The Average Socialite: Due to the interactive nature of the installation, visiting ReBall!: Raise/Raze will be in small groups by reservation only. To reserve admission for the installation exhibition, Dupont Underground encourages advance registration through their Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign Open These Doors! Donors at the $25 level receive priority when making a reservation during the exhibition, which will run April 30 - June 1, 2016. 

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