Krista Reay-Berman: Can You Fill our Show House?
In 2018, Krista Reay-Berman (BFA 1992) created site-specific artwork to fill a newly constructed home featured in the Florida Parade of Homes.
Upon receiving an invitation to fill over 7,000 SQ FT of empty wall space in the 2018 Florida Parade of Homes E2 Art House in Orlando, I jumped at the chance. I have always considered myself a multi-disciplinary artist, with my roots in Graphic Design and Mixed Media, but this was a wonderful new opportunity to really push the envelope and work with a team of standout people.
I approached the project as if it were a one-woman gallery show and to challenge myself to create as much varied work as possible in as many different mediums as possible over the following 6 months. The über-cool contemporary house was being newly constructed by E2 Homes and designed by Michael Wenrich Architects and I was delighted to fill this “blank canvas” of vast wall-space with an entire collection of new work.
All I told myself was to have fun, don’t get manic, and to create suitable fresh work that was site-specific to the soul and size of the interior (and exterior) spaces. Every week during the construction process there was a team of us that would meet: the builder, architect, construction manager, interior designer and myself. The inspiration was flowing as the house took shape, as the walls went up and i could see how light was playing throughout the day in each room. This evolutionary process really helped me develop what work I would then go home and execute, but also allowed me the chance to “listen to the voice of the home” as it took form. I felt like the house would tell me what work it wanted: sculpture, color field painting, photography, found object assemblage, etc. Much of the work was site-specific and I curated each room accordingly, as well as to align with the furnishings. It was a wonderful surprise when the house sold to a young collector and they wanted to purchase a majority of the collection.