Thisplacer

Escalators are staples of modern architecture, guiding us past shops, ads and objects to buy. Ale Mangindaan analyses this everyday encounter by removing the escalator from its context. Crafted from 3D-printed parts, sheet metal and a salvaged handrail from a subway station, its short, narrow dimensions and 10 cm elevation strip it of its function. In turn, the escalator reveals itself as an austere, monolithic and tank-like structure—a "metallic monster." With partly exposed wheels and bearings, the slow, circular motion of the motorized steps becomes a hypnotic, sedating dance. Thisplacer invites reflection on autonomy, routine and the mundane. It questions if design is still a tool for social-engineering or merely enforcing materialistic behaviour.