2004-2005

Matthew Ritchie

Sue de Beer

Rico Gatson

2002-2003

National Dance Institute

Diller & Scofidio

Ellen Harvey

Lorna Simpson

2001-2002

töshöklabs

Larry Krone

Robert Lazzarini

Paul Pfeiffer

Kiki Smith

2000-2001

Vik Muniz

Glenn Ligon

Barbara Kruger

1999-2000

Fred Tomaselli

Architect Ricardo Scofidio discusses the work that he does with fellow architect and wife Elizabeth Diller.

Diller & Scofidio

The third Artist + Youth: a Dialogue for the 2002-2003 Youth Insights year was on April 4, 2003 with husband and wife team, Elizabeth Diller, who unfortunately could not make the dialogue, and Ricardo Scofidio. Their work was displayed in Scanning: The Aberrant Architectures of Diller + Scofidio, an exhibition on view at the Whitney Museum.

Elizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio are not only a married team, but also two New York architects.

Diller attended the Cooper Union School of Art and received a bachelor of architecture degree in 1979. She then taught at Cooper Union and has been an associate professor of architecture at Princeton University since 1990. Scofidio also studied at the Cooper Union School of Art and received a bachelor degree in architecture from Columbia University. He has been a professor of architecture at Cooper Union since 1965.

For the past two decades, they have drawn on installation art, time-based media, and architecture to redefine attitudes toward the body, the city, and everyday spaces. The exhibition at the Whitney Museum presented an astonishing range of their site-specific installations, video works, performance pieces, and buildings. Diller + Scofidio's work crosses all media boundaries to explore how technology defines identity, how rituals can offer either imprisonment or liberation, and how we can build devices that allow us to be at home in an ever more artificial and confusing world. All in all, their work creates an alternative form of architecture practice that unites design, performance and electronic media with cultural and architectural theory and criticism.

Youth Insights participants Anita and Angel ask Ricardo Scofidio questions about his work.

RESPONSES/OPINIONS OF YOUTH INSIGHTS PARTICIPANTS:

Angel: "My first dialogue was with the Diller and Scofidio exhibition where we talked with Ricardo Scofidio. Preparing for it was hard work; there was a point where I would pee in my pants when I hear the words "aberrant architecture." However, I really wanted people to pay attention and then they will understand see how cool their art is. Therefore, I went to the humor path and trying to make the dialogue more fun and casual was great to come up with. I learned a lot? about the art and general life lessons as well. I love how Diller and Scofidio make you think outside of the box. They are the only artists I know that take clothes and make you notice the conformity that comes from ironing and they take robots and make us realize that we are always being watched. They observe, criticize, and display. It showed me that it seems to be a priority of how things appear to us but how things are displayed is becoming as equally important as well. I also learned from preparing for this dialogue that things will never go the way you plan and as a result you might regret not having as much fun you should have or you might make a fool out of yourself. So either way, just enjoy and be creative."

Anita: "When we first saw Diller and Scofidio's exhibition, we were all amazed. I was excited that I would actually be getting the chance to meet with such an interesting artist such as Ricardo Scofidio. Unfortunately, his wife, Elizabeth Diller, was unable to attend but it definitely wasn't an issue as we learned so much information and had a good time at this dialogue. I appreciate Mr. Scofidio's enthusiasm and participation."

Youth Insights participants Brian and Karin moderate a dialogue with Ricardo Scofidio, middle, on April 4, 2003.

Brian: "I was on the Diller and Scofidio Dialogue and it was terrific. I got to ask Ricardo Scofidio, a practicing artist and architect, many interesting questions about his work that you couldn't ever find out by reading a review or the catalogue. It reminded me of this old show Art/New York that I used to watch on television where this guy would go around and interview the artists. You get to see their real personality. I asked Ricardo Scofidio if he had a motto. He got really mad, became more animated, raised his voice and started telling us how he despises mottos because it's something you live your life by without questioning it. He was interested in questioning everything, but as a Youth Insights participant I was able to question him."

Karin: "Not too long ago, I had the chance of meeting Ricardo Scofidio. After thoroughly studying and working on him and his wife's exhibition, four of us from the Youth Insights program worked at preparing a dialogue with him. I can truly say that this was one of my favorite dialogues. Scofidio is an artist who thinks outside the box. His responses and insight during the dialogue introduced to me many ideas about tourism, advertising, and the mass media in general but most importantly how we are basis for their existence. In addition, I think Scofidio has a great personality, which helped mimic the tension at first and helped us laugh and truly enjoy it. I really like his work and I definitely think that we all learned something new that night."

? 2003 Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York