The garage was situated on a desolate piece of wasteland, which was being used as a dumping ground for refuse from road construction, cables and drainpipes. This site immediately attracted our attention when we arrived at P.S. 1 in September 2000 - as we always have our eyes peeled for redundant spaces and niches.
The small house with its over-sized garage was completely without glamour and as ordinary as the suburban dream; an utterly non-place begging to be deciphered and reconstructed.
GOOD's strategy is to reinvent free spaces: almost against our better judgment, though not naively, as we are all 'loaded' with our own and other's knowledge, experience and history of the last few decades. The Public Art Fund itself was a crucial component in the project proposal. The creation of free spaces, or sanctuaries, has been one the most powerful ventures undertaken by artists since 1945. It has provided other
By using, and negotiating with, the official platforms and through official channels, the 'inside' and 'outside' of various spaces where art can take place is constructively problematised; free space becomes transformed into a working strategy.
The idea of alternative spaces not only relates to architecture, but also is aimed at generating a mentality or ideology as an alternative to the market-driven gallery system on the one hand and the intransigence of museum spaces on the permanent versatility, temporariness and movement are indispensable components of free space.
After the restoration of essential facilities, GOOD should come to function as an open space where people could work, discuss and present, using the existing architectural space to revitalize memory in the present.
This reusing of space does not stem from nostalgic desire, but is sparked by the understanding that things