Simon Kim

Architect Simon Kim and artist Billy Dufala produced the first of three projects through RAIR. Kim and Dufala have collaborated in the past and continued their conversation for this first residency by asking the question: “What are discerning elements of citizenship, governance, and identification in a city made of pieces of past colonial powers?” They constructed a house for the Minister of Foreign Affairs of SURA – an imagined amalgamation of Paris, London, and Tokyo neighborhoods. The building, fabricated and demolished within thirty-six hours on site at RAIR, existed within the ICA gallery via documentation.

Being the first architect to participate in RAIR’s residency program, Kim brought a new perspective on materials into his project: “As a recycler of materials from construction sites, I find it an ironic pleasure to engage with the material that is scrapped from the building industry, and elevate it to artistic expression.”