The challenge was to work in collaboration with an architect in a completely unfamiliar material. The piece was made from snow and had a feeling of solidity; the viewer was able to walk into it. The form is based upon a simple stairwell space in East London that has been turned by 90 degrees. The exterior of the piece was a pragmatic solution, simply reflecting the complex geometry of the interior. The new space felt familiar and domestic, and I hoped that it will disorient the viewer and make him or her think of other places.

– Rachel Whiteread

Architecture is an art form of accommodation and meditation, whereas artistic statements tend to have a more autonomous and absolute character. So, we agreed at the very beginning of the project that the artist would suggest the motif. Rachel proposed the image of a stairwell turned sideways, which related to her recent sculptural work. Since I have also produced architectural objects based on images of stairways, in addition to designing actual staircases for my building, I immediately found the idea appropriate for our collaboration.

The Volume of snow simple accommodated the interior space in a pragmatic manner without attempting to make an independent exterior statement. The exterior was the mute container of the articulated interior.

-Juhani Pallasmaa