15. September 2017
All photographs by John Hill/World-Architects
Well, for a few days. For the first part of its We Like America tour, raumlaborBerlin, in collaboration with the Storefront for Art and Architecture and Ubermut Project, set up its inflatable SPACEBUSTER for a three-day stint at Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood.
The start of SPACEBUSTER's American tour coincides with the opening of the Chicago Architecture Biennial: On Saturday SPACEBUSTER is hosting experimental music from noon to 9pm and will be joined by Architecture Lobby and Night Gallery, the latter of which is located just a couple blocks south of Maria's and is opening (Another)* Rear Window on Saturday.
I first became familiar with raumlaborBerlin's SPACEBUSTER in 2009, when the truck and inflatable made its way around New York City for ten days. Then, as now, the project explored the appropriation of underutilized leftover spaces in urban areas. At Maria's, SPACEBUSTER occupies a narrow empty corner space next to the bar and its restaurant, Kimski.
After Chicago, SPACEBUSTER will travel to St. Louis for four days at the Pulitzer Arts Foundation (24-27 September), with future cities and tour dates to be announced.
Spacebuster in the early stages of being inflated on Thursday evening.
Maria's – half tavern, half liquor store – is an institution in Bridgeport, now accompanied by its restaurant, Kimski, next door.
Spacebuster squeezed itself into a narrow corner space next to Kimski.
Spacebuster during inflation on Thursday evening.
