Sunday, October 13, 2024

Ramshackle Dwellings by Simon Laveuve Reach Skyward in an Imagined Post-Apocalyptic Future

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#apocalypse #architecture #houses #miniature #mixed media #sculpture #Simon Laveuve

A detail of a miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like a chair and coffee cup.

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068” (2023), mixed media, 67 x 20 x 20 centimeters. All images © Simon Laveuve, shared with permission

Paris-based artist Simon Laveuve imagines a world filled with anarchic architecture in his ongoing series of detailed, miniature shelters (previously). At 1/35 scale, his recent works continue to explore the possibilities of dwelling in remote or inhospitable places, incorporating tiny tire swings, rope ladders, furniture, and art. The ramshackle, towering structures contain wooden doors, scrawled messages, and a variety of utilitarian objects, suggesting the industrious work of unseen hands. While devoid of figures, an abandoned coffee cup or a door left ajar suggests the inhabitants are not too far away.

In his piece titled “Le Rocher,” which translates to “The Rock,” the artist explores notions of time. “The rock is a survivor. Cataclysm, tsunami, storm. He was there,” he says in a statement. “He saw everything, heard everything. When land and sea give birth to a new world, the rock, against wind and tide, will be there. It’s at the end that everything begins (again).”

Explore Laveuve’s sculptures in more detail on his website, and follow Instagram for updates.

A miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like a ship mast, ladders, and steps.

“Le Rocher / IDF2068”

Two images of of a miniature dwelling sculpture featuring a wooden shack on a giant vine.

Left: “Voir Loin / Hors-série” (2023), mixed media, 47 x 15 x 15 centimeters. Right: Detail of “Voir Loin / Hors-série”

A miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like a rope swing and wooden windows.

“La Guérite / IDF2068”

Detail of miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like miniature painters and wooden details.

Detail of “La Guérite / IDF2068”

Two images of of a miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like a ladder and tire swing.

Details of “La Guérite / IDF2068” (2023), mixed media, 55 x 12 x 12 centimeters

Detail of a door under some text that reads

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068”

A miniature dwelling sculpture featuring numerous details like ladders, signs, and paintings.

Detail of “Le Rocher / IDF2068”

#apocalypse #architecture #houses #miniature #mixed media #sculpture #Simon Laveuve

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