In the area of Fezna, in southeast Morocco, three monumental landscape sculptures were realized by the German artist Hannsjörg Voth. The care and oversight for these remote artworks requires accommodations and basic facilities for the guards – albeit with explicit instructions from the artist not to visually disturb the area.
The precise situation of the guardhouse minimizes its presence within the contours of the site. Embedded in the landscape a stone plinth follows the slope of the terrain. Within this boundary, a series of sunken rooms lie nested, in relief. The areas between the rooms are open to above, allowing the guards to move freely in the light and air, though unseen to the world above.
The plinth is made from rust-colored stone, sourced from the site. The interior surfaces are plastered with pale white lime, illuminating the subterranean rooms. Although its materiality is decidedly local, the proportions are based on a perfect square – making it both a natural and an imposed figure in this place.
2019
Commissioned Proposal
