Domestic Construction by Naomi Asselin
Fabric, wallpaper, and scissors, oh my! Meet Maureen and Trish, two women with a dream of being creative for a living and made it work! With a melding of fine art, pops of color, innovative construction techniques and a creative use of materials, Domestic Construction creates a tactile experience that can draw out the essence of a space.
Naomi Asselin: For those of us who don’t know, who is Domestic Construction?
Domestic Construction: Domestic Construction is a collaboration between Maureen Walsh and Trish Andersen.
NA: What is your mission?
DC: Our mission is to create beautiful things/environments for people to experience. With a melding of fine art, pops of color, innovative construction techniques and a creative use of materials, Domestic Construction creates a tactile experience that can draw out the essence of a space.
NA: How did this organization all come into shape? What was the process like from it just being an idea to now?
DC: We started DC five years ago (we just had our birthday party in May). We were both working separate jobs and ended up collaborating on our first project together. It was a chandelier made out of hair dryers for a salon in the city. We started talking and wondering why how we could do stuff like this full time. We thought there had to be a need, this was the beginning of DC. We started brainstorming and planning and ended up quitting a jobs a few months later. Things have changed a lot over the past five years and we realize they will always probably change a little but we have finally found our groove.
NA: Most of what you do is based on outside locations, right? What exactly happens at your permanent space in Greenpoint? Could you describe the layout and everything that happens there?
DC: Most of our work is done indoors but we are starting to do a lot more outdoor stuff. We started a garden next to our studio called design.plot. We are using all types of gardening systems to create sculptures, etc. Our actual indoor studio space changes all the time! Some times we are using the space for a video shoot and the next day we are in full production of an event. The place is always changing! We need to change things up from time to time or we get really bored! We have a semi-permanent woodshop in the back and then the front of the space is constantly changing!
NA: Is this all for fun, or do you get paid?
DC: This is our full time job. So yes, we do get paid! We’re always looking for new fun projects to get paid for.
NA: You use mostly recycled materials, right? Where do you get everything for your projects?
DC: We like to use recycled materials as much as possible. We kind of collect things as we go. We have quite a stockpile of vintage fabrics and papers. When we go out of town we love going to thrift stores to gather material. Sometimes we will find some stuff on the streets of Brooklyn. Sometimes we get stuff from Build it Green. It depends on the project and what exactly we are working on!
NA: Could you describe your current project and what you hope to have happen after its completion?
DC: Design.plot is a work in progress. It’s constantly changing. There isn’t really an end date for completion. We want to keep it a space for people to learn and enjoy. Plants are growing and changing through out the season so it looks different every day. We are super excited for the next couple months as stuff starts blooming! We have several events planned for this summer on the lot. A summer theater series the weekend of June 16th is our most exciting one coming up.
NA: What has been the most challenging project you two have worked on? What about your favorite?
DC: The most challenging project that we worked on lately was a taxi cab project for Bravo. We had to turn the interior of ten cabs into little themed environments. We had to completely transform the cabs so when you got inside you felt like you were in a room instead of a taxi. We also only had two weeks to do it. It was very intense and we didn’t sleep much but we were pretty pleased and surprised by the final result.
NA: Do you ever have internship or volunteer opportunities?
DC: We do offer internships. We have a couple really amazing gals right now. If you’re interested please email us at thegirls@domesticconstruction.com
NA: What does the future hold for DC? What are your own personal goals?
DC: We would like to expand DC and get some more work outside of NYC. We would love to get some projects out west, across the country, and then across the world! We are also interested in opening a little retreat center in central America where everything is designed and built by us. It will be somewhere on a surf break so we can escape NYC and surf and enjoy nature. Stay tuned!
Langhorne Slim, The Way We Move, 2012, music video set design and art direction
The Brooklyneer Bridge Wall, 2010, custom dc wall installation featuring the Brooklyn Bridge, pages from a Brooklyn history book, paper, nails, and string, dimensions variable