Designboom_ CARVALHO PARK has unveiled Spirit Playground, the inaugural project of its biannual performance series. This site-specific work is a collaboration between three artists — Swedish textile installation artist Diana Orving, world-renowned New York City Ballet principal dancer Sara Mearns, and esteemed choreographer Jodi Melnick.

Diana Orving’s installation takes center stage, constructed from over 1,600 square feet of silk organza and jute. The fabric flows through the gallery space, resembling an organic being with its ever-expanding and never-static form. The flowing, expressive seams act as a structure, similar to veins or branches, creating a sense of movement and life within the installation. The sheer volume of the fabric overwhelms the viewer, purposefully relinquishing control and introducing elements of uncertainty. Through the movement and volume of the textiles, Orving seeks to represent various states of mind, relationships, and mental and physical processes.

Dancer Sara Mearns and choreographer Jodi Melnick, collaborating once again after their projects at the Guggenheim Museum, will engage with artist Diana Orving’s textile installation Spirit Playground as a stage for a new dance performance at CARVAHLO PARK’s New York gallery. Their choreography will translate the underlying themes of Orving’s work — the subconscious, the elusive, and the concrete — into physical movement. The audience will experience the installation anew as the dancers interact with the fabric, viewing the performance in-the-round. This intersection of artistic disciplines pushes boundaries and creates a unique experience that transcends the limitations of each individual art form. The installation becomes a platform for exploration, introducing a new dialogue between textiles, dynamic movement, and space.