the undercroft

source: highriseblog

I first encountered Vincent Mauger while working with Fabrica on their Exhibition Archive. It’s been a real pleasure to sort through the list of artists that they have played host to, and Mauger is one of many I have been introduced to recently. The Undercroft, pictured above, combines mathematical precision with notions of craftsmanship and artistic gesture. It reminds me a little of the cover of Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division. There is a time-lapse video of the contstruction of The Undercroft below, which shows the relatively simple jigsaw puzzle design.
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source: bertrandgrimon
Les sculptures de Vincent Mauger ne se contentent pas de prendre place dans un site, elles le mettent sous tension. Le rapport au lieu est une composante intrinsèque du travail de l’artiste, qui prend le parti de questionner l’espace afin d’en révéler les points de rupture ou d’équilibre. De l’adéquation entre l’espace occupé et le volume proposé naissent des résonances qui sollicitent la sensibilité du spectateur. Celui-ci, happé par le jeu des surfaces, des vides et des pleins, fait l’expérience d’un paysage simulé dont l’échelle oscillerait entre l’infiniment petit et le gigantisme assumé.
Reprenant à son compte les modélisations 3D, Vincent Mauger crée un monde parfaitement ancré dans la matière tangible. Qu’il s’agisse de bois, de parpaings, de métal, de brique ou de polystyrène, les matériaux sont travaillés au-delà ce que leur matérialité pourrait laisser présager. Avec une certaine économie de moyens et de procédés, la perception des caractéristiques de masse et de solidité se trouve souvent modifiée, dans tous les cas questionnée.
Dans un monde aux distances abolies par la vitesse des déplacements (réels ou virtuels), Vincent Mauger propose un espace à la topographie extraordinaire où il fait bon se perdre.
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source: bertrandgrimont
Vincent Mauger’s sculptures do not just stand on a site, they bring pressure into it. The relationship to the site is an intrinsic part of the artist’s work, he questions the space in order to reveal its breaking and equilibrium points. From the adequacy between the occupied space and the shown volume, resonances rise towards the spectators’ sensitivity. The spectator is caught by the play of the surfaces, the hollow and the solid, he experiences a stimulated landscape which scale oscillates between the infinitesimal and the colossal.
Using 3D modeling, Vincent Mauger creates a world that is firmly grounded in the tangible matter. Wood, concrete blocks, bricks, metal or polystyrene, these materials are worked beyond what we could assume from their materiality. With rigorous production and little process, the perception of mass and solidity is often changed and always questioned.
In a world where distance is abolished by the speed of travel (real or virtual), Vincent Mauger offers a space with an extraordinary topography, where it feels good to get lost.
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source: slash-paris
My approach is focused on the research of a concrete realization of what could be a mental space.
What i mean by “mental space” can be the structure of thought constructed in front of a space, or virtual universes, or mathematical or schematical constructions that can be made for everyone to project itself in a place faraway or inexistent.
I often bring together a real space (exhibition space) and the mental representation of another space.
Using ordinary construction material, i build landscape representations, sort of mental landscapes which are very close to computer graphics or to mathematical and diagrammatical imagery. I draw closer real construction techniques and scientific virtual imagery techniques. I am looking to create a parallel and to show similities between a concrete construction system and a reasoning (mental construction).
With my creations i try to interrogate the ideas of architecture and urbanism.
By using construction material in order to formulate fragments of landscapes, I play with different scales, inviting people to move physically and mentally. It’s all about creating process, creating simple systems of construction, and then presenting open creations that comes from those systems. The assembly principles remain visible, so that the spectator can use it mentally and imagine the pursuit of the construction or think of a composition change.
My sculptures are made of simple materials : wood, fabric, tiles, plastics or metallic tubes. Those material remain identifiable but the way I use them creates a strange gap with their ordinary appearance. Those sculptures constitutes a start or a sketch that could be developed in space. For example in the inside of a building, we can discover fragments of a landscape, which are in some way the prolongation of space, making concrete mental images and a space favorable to reflection.
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source: fabricaorguk

“When I began my work I often used 3D spaces to create work that existed in the virtual world… gradually I thought it was more interesting to make objects or sculptures that evoked these digital spaces without any intervention of digital technology”. – Vincent Mauger

The Undercroft was a newly commissioned sculpture designed to take advantage of the unique space offered by Fabrica. Sculptor Vincent Maugher used reconstituted wood to create a magical blend of fractal landscape and architectural folly, a topological pavilion that seemed to burst forth from the ground like an exposed crypt or vented volcanic cavern.

The Undercroft reflected a paradox; breathlessly dynamic in its structure, it was also a calming and peaceful lattice that complemented the internal architecture of the building. It became a contemplative sanctum; a space to think about the nature of sculpture and ponder the mapping and manipulation of our physical world.

At first sight, the form of The Undercroft appeared to be dictated by a mathematical accuracy synonymous with computer-aided design. However, closer inspection revealed an artisan’s pride in carefully crafted detail and creative treatment of everyday materials gleaned from DIY stores. As a result, Mauger’s assemblages lie across the rather wayward creative path that starts with William Morris’s Arts and Craft movement and ends in the fanatic excesses of an obsessive hobbyist.

Vincent Mauger had his work shown by several European galleries including Code/Buro in Brussels, gallerie LH Paris, MCNN in Nevers and at the Loire regional FRAC in Nantes. The Undercroft was his first solo exhibition in Britain.