MOMA to Pressent WENDY at MoMA PS1

The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1 announce the opening of WENDY, the HWKN (Hollwich Kushner)-designed winner of the annual Young Architects Program (YAP) in New York. Now in its 13th edition, the Young Architects Program at MoMA and MoMA PS1 has been committed to offering emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative projects, challenging each year’s winners to develop creative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation at MoMA PS1 that provides shade, seating, and water. The architects must also work within guidelines that address environmental issues, including sustainability and recycling. HWKN, drawn from among five finalists, designed a temporary urban architecture for the 2012 Warm Up summer music series in MoMA PS1’s outdoor courtyard which begins July 7, 2012.

The project, Wendy, opening to the public at MoMA PS1 in Long Island City on July 1, 2012, is an experiment that tests how far the boundaries of architecture can expand to create ecological and social effect. Wendy is composed of fabric treated with a ground breaking titania nanofilm to neutralize airborne pollutants. During the summer of 2012, Wendy will clean the air to an equivalent of taking 260 cars off the road.

Wendy’s boundary is defined by tools like shade, wind, rain, music, and visual identity to reach past the confines of physical limits. Spiky fabric arms shoot out blasts of cool air, music, and water (via cannons and mists) to create social zones throughout the courtyard.

Wendy sits far enough away from the stage used for the annual Warm Up events to let the concerts go on unimpeded, but close enough to the entrance to create a filter and initial impact to visitors. It bridges over the walls into the large and small courtyards of MoMA PS1.

Wendy features a simple, inexpensive construction system: the scaffold is deployed efficiently to create a 56’ x 56’ x 46’ volume to form the largest surface area possible.

In addition to Knippers Helbig, structural engineers on the project, the Wendy project was assisted by PURETi (air-purifying surface treatment), Cristal Global (titania dioxide), SDFS (general contractor), SAFWAY (scaffolding provider), Krinner Ground Screws (foundations), Dornbracht (water systems), Davis & Warshow (water and technology), Big Ass Fans (fans), Transsolar (climate engineering), Dazian (custom sewing), Bo-Tex (fabric), Art Domantay (production consultant), Bruce Mau Design (graphic identity), Soho Repographics (printing), 2x4 (merchandise design), Pentagram (merchandise design) and Supima Cotton (merchandise materials), and a team of amazing volunteers.

Hours:

MoMA PS1 is open from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Thursday through Monday. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. • artbook@MoMA PS1 is open from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Thursday through Sunday.

Admission:

Admission is a $10 suggested donation; $5 for students and senior citizens; free for MoMA members and MoMA admission ticket holders. The MoMA ticket must be presented at MoMA PS1 within thirty days of date on ticket and is not valid during Warm Up or other MoMA PS1 events or benefits.

Directions:

MoMA PS1 is located at 22-25 Jackson Avenue at 46th Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, across the Queensboro Bridge from midtown Manhattan. It is easily accessible by bus and subway. Traveling by subway, visitors should take either the E or M to Court Square-23 Street; the 7 to 45 Road-Courthouse Square; or the G to Court Square or 21 Street-Van Alst. Visitors may also take the Q67 bus to Jackson and 46th Avenues or the B62 to 46th Avenue.

Websites:

MoMAPS1.org • MoMA.org

MoMA PS1 Background:

MoMA PS1 is one of the largest and oldest organizations in the United States solely devoted to contemporary art. Established in 1976 by Alanna Heiss, MoMA PS1 originated from The Institute for Art and Urban Resources, a not-for-profit organization founded five years prior with the mission of turning abandoned, underutilized buildings in New York City into artist studios and exhibition spaces. P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, as it then was known, became an affiliate of The Museum of Modern Art in 2000.

Support:

Operations and programs of MoMA PS1 are supported by the MoMA PS1 Board of Directors; the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; Helen M. Marshall, Queens Borough President; Council Member James Van Bramer; The Council of the City of New York; and the MoMA PS1 Annual Fund, Annual Exhibition Fund, and The Student Body. The MoMA PS1 Annual Fund is supported by The Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Union Beer Distributors, Susan G. Jacoby, Mathis Pfohl Foundation, Christina Dalle Pezze, Jane K. Lombard, Andrew Edlin Gallery, Marian Goodman Gallery, Saks Fifth Avenue, and other donors. Exhibitions at MoMA PS1 are made possible by the Annual Exhibition Fund with support from Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi, Richard Chang and Tina Lee, Adam Kimmel, Peter Norton and the Peter Norton Family Foundation, Beth Swofford, David Teiger, Agnes Gund, Dana Farouki, John Comfort, Philip E. Aarons and Shelley Fox Aarons, Mimi Haas, and Enzo Viscusi, with additional funding from Michel Zaleski, The Student Body of MoMA PS1, Byron R. Meyer, and Jeremy E. Steinke.

Public Programs are made possible in part by Studio in a School and The Milton and Sally Avery Arts Foundation.

MoMA PS1’s institutional archives were established with generous founding support from the Leon Levy Foundation.

Curatorial travel and research is supported by The International Council of The Museum of Modern Art, Jerry I. Speyer and Katherine G. Farley, and David Teiger.