THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

In 1997, the Walker commissioned the Dutch design studio Atelier van Lieshout to make a functional, mobile sculpture for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. A hybrid of architecture and sculpture, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly has two parts: a stationary "cabin" in the Garden and a detachable "trailer" unit on wheels. The mobile unit travels to surrounding neighborhoods as a site for hands-on art activities, exhibitions, performances, classes, and other gatherings planned with the Walker's community partners. The two sections can be joined, but they can also exist independently.

During his initial visit in December 1997, studio director Joep van Lieshout explored Minnesota's history and industry on a tour that included visits to Laura Ingalls Wilder's birthplace, a Northern States Power Company power plant, and RV sales lots. He also met with members of the Twin Cities community to discuss the sculpture's form and function. Van Lieshout returned the following year with a small-scale model of the work that was displayed in the Walker's Art Lab. In this installation, the public was invited to respond to questions about what the finished piece should look like and to describe its possible uses. These comments collectively informed the sculpture's final design. Construction of the work began in May 1998. The mobile unit was built in Rotterdam and the wooden structure was erected on site in the Garden. The project was unveiled at the Garden's 10th-anniversary celebration in September. Dubbed Walker on Wheels (WoW), the mobile art lab made its public debut at Minneapolis' Lake Street Cultural Festival and Powderhorn Park during the summer of 1999.

For the past three years, Van Lieshout (b. 1963) has presented his work under the name Atelier van Lieshout to underline his collaborative process with the members of his studio. The Atelier creates "practical and functional" sculptures, including furniture, polyester body parts, mobile homes, and offices, which combine industrial standardization with a signature use of polyester resin painted with highly artificial colors. The projects they produce reflect a way of life according to which the Atelier functions daily. This lifestyle parallels the mainstream, but as a subculture with an interest in underground activities, it proposes an alternative to the status quo.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY A web site created in conjunction with the creation of the piece.