Document:Q11444
From Rhizome Artbase
Just awarded the 2009 Prix Award of Distinction at Ars Electronica, this pair of everyday automatic sliding doors is a collaboration between Kim Beck and Osman Khan. With allusions to minimalist sculpture (Dan Graham), consumerism (strip mall and super markets) and with a nod to the dichotomy of desire and difficulty that the erection of barriers and fences create, the project suggests a barrier made of typical storefront glass walls. In this case, it is a useless barrier as the doors open automatically when someone walks up or even just around them. It provides instead a moment of pause as one passes over the threshold to view the city skyline across the East River. It was decorated with flags for its Grand Opening.