337 Project

INCIDENT:
Buildings are knocked down to make way for new developments everyday (check out Implosion World to get your fill of building and structure implosions). Although there is a high frequency of building tear downs, most don't make the news unless it is a prominent or famous building or structure like Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh or the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan. So one would not expect that the destruction of a small office building in Salt Lake City (of all places) to turn any heads... except this one did.

The 337 Project was an art collaborative experiment. The owners of the building at 337 South 400 East turned the demolition of the office building and turned it into a great opportunity. They invited 94 artists to cover the building and its 42 rooms with art including installations, graffiti art, sculptures, and paintings. The building was on display for two weekends and then it was demolished as planned.

Images from the project can be seen here. The project was also documented in a film by the Dada Factory, titled The 337 Project Documentary, which is now being screened in Salt Lake City all summer for free at the Salt Lake Art Center. Here is the trailer for the film:

An exhibit is also currently on display at the Salt Lake Art Center called Present Tense: A Post 337 Project. It is an exhibition by some of the artists who participated in the original 337 Project. Aside from the documentary and the exhibition, the 337 Project also gave birth to two good resources on art in Salt Lake City.

337 Project Blog - tracks everything related to the 337 Project including another 337 type project in the works

Dada Robotnik - "Robotnik is a place for crazy art and ideas"

MORAL:
It is so great to see imaginative thinking about the demolition of a building. Often the destruction of a building only results in lots of landfill, instead this project inspired the creativity of countless of artists and observers.

It also addresses the fragile nature of life. Although you know that at some point your life will end, it is not usually on the forefront of your mind. 337 Project starts with that premise. To create art with the knowledge that it will change and in fact be destroyed is profound. We often hold close things in this world with the hope that it will never leave our lives. If we take for one second the mindset that things are transient... that life is transient... would we live different lives?