sKiN

We often examine the appearance of others: Is she/he attractive? Based on this, do we feel that they are sincere, honest, or trustworthy? We also speculate on objects and each other, and judge their value based on our preferences of beauty. Even though we understand there is more than the outer shell that encases our true selves, we still cannot help but to judge what we see visually, and ignore the depth beneath such appearance.

sKiN is a sculpture by architectural designer/artist Benjamin Page. It represents the visual layers that we perceive, and the defenses we put up to blend into the social realm. What if our appearance consisted of clear layers of simple geometry, instead of colorful layers of seductive forms and attractive lies? This sculpture is a reduction to an architectural representation of the human exterior, and challenges how we view beauty as a whole. Would we then be able to understand the interior better through the layers of clarity?

By using modular tempered glass plates of various sizes, the sculpture’s materiality is transparent, and presents a water-like surface. This geometry not only defines the complex layers of glass, but also reveals the layers beneath, and creates a silhouette image. Such social relationships, environmental issues, and their abstraction into architectural forms are what inspire artist Benjamin Page.