Rubeling & Kain Studios "Untitled (compass)" 100 square foot house, 1999 Artscape exhibtion, Baltimore, MD

Artist statement

Site information

100 Square Foot House

curator: Gary Kachadourian,

(The following text is an excerpt from the 1999 ARTSCAPE Program Guide)

The six works in this exhibition are the result of artists and architects being asked to build sculptures that address the questions:"What is a house?" In fact they were asked to build sculptures which are houses with a one hundred square foot floor plans. From the first the discussions with the artists, the idea of building a houses that would would have practical, physical purpose was deemed less important than issues of poetics of the house. Issues of the house as sanctuary, as a tool for one to conduct the work of living, as a vestment which carries the same outward meaning as one's clothes or hairstyle were areas of investigation.

100 Square Foot House is an outdoor sculpture exhibition of six newly commissioned works for ARTSCAPE.This exhibition can be viewed as a forum, a chance for the artists involved to use a common equation to experiment with the art-making language each has developed over the years. For the viewer this familiar equation maybe used as a key to understanding the art-making language in its variety.

Rubeling's uses the idea of house as a tool for living and as sanctuary. Her house is a squared floored, gabled structure with a central rotating wall which dissects and separates the interior where each of its four walls represents an element for living. Entry into the house is on the south wall (motivation) where the doors are placed. To the right, on the east wall (wakefulness) are a desk and chair which fold down from the wall followed by the north wall (nourishment) which holds a sink and water collection device and the west wall (meditation) which holds a fold-down bed. The roof panels are hinged and can open to become the only windows to the outside world. These "windows" serve as the acknowledgement of the outside world while maintaining complete privacy in the sanctuary of home.

Concept sketch

Lori Rubeling's concept sketch illustrating her idea in situ.

Lori Rubeling's architectural concept was developed over a of six month period. Four scale drawing series were made to develop the over all construction system. Connecting the concept with its form.

The actual building and installation of the form took 2 1/2 weeks from siting the concrete pad to installing the last roof panel.The construction installation was designed and executed by Brian Kain with assistance by Lori Rubeling. Untitled (compass) footprint is 10' x 10' x 10' square - totaling 1000 cubic feet. The final construction materials include: MDF board finished with two coats of polyurethane;6 x 6 inch wolmanized timber posts, beams and lintels; and three rotating planes - the roof and center wall.