Standing Air
Line Armenian Architecture Biennial 2025
With Nare Filiposyan and Zhicheng Xu
Standing Air evokes megaliths not of stone, but of breath—massive, air-filled forms that yield to touch, pressure, even play, yet return to standing. Inspired by ancient sites like Zorats Karer, where seemingly precarious stones have stood for thousands of years, the work explores a quiet paradox: how something that seems unstable can still hold its ground.
The installation features three giant standing forms that support a fourth, hovering above—literally up in the air. The work embodies uncertainty and tension, inviting reflection on what it means to be both grounded and suspended.
Here, the megalith is reimagined as a translucent, inflatable form—monumental yet impermanent, weightless yet seemingly heavy. These structures give shape to invisible forces like breath and pressure, making them something you can see, feel, and move through. Unfixed but steady, they respond to wind, passersby, and playful children—swaying gently, then returning to a point of balance.
Standing Air holds the tension between balance and uncertainty, the permanent and ephemeral. In a moment of deep instability, it reflects both the vulnerability of now and a stubborn desire to remain rooted.