Re-Source Exhibition DesignRealized

The design for the Re-Source exhibition, called Marimba, emphasizes the collectivity embedded in Storefront’s mission. Works by 26 participating architects —a mixture of leftover and surplus items from Storefront's collection— are displayed atop a site-specific structure made up of many “tables” that combine to make a continuous surface. Patrons are invited to “buy a table”, and take home a fragment of the exhibition.

At a time when anxiety and opportunity collide, the Re-Source exhibition doubled as a fundraising initiative to replace crucial financial resources lost due to the cancelation of Storefront’s annual Spring Benefit.
Because time and budget were short and exhibition materials were going to be many but were still in the making, we thought of a single strategy that could receive all that heterogeneity.
The Marimba — a Latin American percussion instrument consisting of a set of hardwood plates placed over tuned metal resonators, similar to a xylophone—creates a unique collective atmosphere. Of all the musical instruments we know, the marimba is the only one best played by a group.
In this way, 56 quick, easy, and inexpensive pieces of furniture, from which 37 work as tables and 19 as stools, filled the gallery from end to end. Together, the combined surface had a gentle slope, as each individual surface is 1 cm taller than the previous - from 37 cm to 92 cm tall. All of the “tables” are made out of plywood that was CNC cut and painted green. Each “table” is composed of 4 planks with interlocking joints in order to make assembly and disassembly smooth and efficient, optimizing transportation, and eliminating all hardware.
In line with the spirit of Re-Source and the climate emergency in which we live, this exhibition leaves no waste, since it is easily disassembled, flat-packed, and distributed among the donors who visit the exhibition virtually or in person.