2012 Exhibition
17. Frontier Town: A Tent Camp for Children in the Urban Wild
Frontier Town is a tent camp scaled for children (and crouching kids-at-heart).
The division between wilderness and civilization is as simple as single man-made light. A light in the unknown of darkness is security. A light in the expanse of nature is centering. A light under a blanket is shelter. We feel a powerful sense of shelter and security inside the warmly-lit space of a tent. For children, a tent is a special place of coziness, secrecy and magic – a place removed.
Frontier Town is glowing destination off in the distance and removed from the busy street. On the scale of the site, the lights of the camp outline a special place, an inviting beacon for gathering and wonder, in the emptiness of the urban prairie at night. On the scale of the shelter, the lights inside the tents define individual magical spaces. Here the young imagination can explore the powerful shelter of light and fabric. With the aid of hand-made light and shadow tools, children are encouraged to create their own personal narratives of Frontier Town.
Artist Information
D MET design
D MET design is an architecture and design studio located in Midtown Detroit. Founded by husband and wife, Joel Schmidt and Elizabeth Skrisson, the firm focuses on projects which contribute to the redevelopment of the urban neighborhood in which it’s located. D MET’s work ranges from architecture and interiors to community development to small-scale neighborhood beautification efforts. Recent projects include the Midtown Inc. Co-lab and Community Room, the Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co., and the Detroit offices of the Kresge Foundation. Joel, Liz and their 1-year-old son Emilio live 6 stories above DMET’s studio in the historic Park Shelton.
Sarah is a self-taught, award-winning fashion designer and contract sewer. Her work has appeared in numerous local and national press outlets including ReadyMade, Nylon Guys, and MetroPop. Clients include film and video; restaurants, galleries, artists, and museums; realtors, architects, inventors, and interior designers. Participation in Detroit’s cultural and civic communities have brought many more opportunities such as work teaching fashion history, theory, and apparel construction at the college level and sometimes kiddie level! She dreams to have work in the Venice Biennale, surf off the coast of Costa Rica, and hang glide in France.