UNNAMED 53.

Unnamed 53 is an attempt to observe the constant tension with modernity in the region; that ebbs and flows between fetishization and disinterest. Breezeblocks are considered to be a modern take on a Rowshan- a prominent traditional wooden panel that allowed air in and provided privacy from the public. While the blocks remain functional, their purpose is negligible compared to their popularity that was mainly driven by aesthetics. Thus, the breezeblocks as a relic become a tangible manifestation of a modern anomaly.  Prior to modernism, the deciding factors considered for the value and significance of traditional ornament were the material and the amount of labor involved in the production. The mass manufacturing of breezeblocks due to ease of production and the inexpensive materials used makes the questioning of its value pertinent and allows the challenging of whether it can be considered ornamentation at all. The work aims to parody and highlight the usefulness of the blocks as a tool by minimizing their size beyond functionality and efficiency.

The artist used digital tools such as 3d modelling and 3d printing to create the original pieces that served as the models for the molds.   The use of digital tools to produce the historically analog-produced blocks represents a physical oxymoron. The imperfect nature of the miniature blocks is a depiction of the cumbersome labor and human error of the casting process; each cast a facsimile of the original ‘perfect’ digitally produced pieces. The scale of the individual pieces implies a sense of fragility and charm and this play on scale introduces the agency of the producer versus the viewer both with the existing breezeblocks in physical buildings but also in their re-production in this exhibition.