art – Page 3 – Kristen Baumlier

Tag: art

What would it be like with rain in your house? I Wish You Hadn’t Asked

Posted on March 27, 2012March 28, 2012 by Kbaumlier

What would be like if rain was to fall inside of your house instead of outside? I Wish You Hadn’t Asked, an artwork created in Denmark explores this idea and is a house where over 300,000 liters of water enter the structure as part of the piece.

The project is the work of the group The Glue Societyand was made for the Sculpture By the Sea Festival in Denmark. The fully furnished house was built, shipped in and outfitted with pipes that drop over 200 liters of water per minute into the rooms of the house.

The water is recycled – and is a semi-closed system, with pumps that get the water into the structure. As the artists say the piece explores the idea of “that moment in a relationship when something is said, or done, that can’t be taken back. And the rot sets in.”

A the beginning of the show, visitors could walk through (either wearing or not wearing a raincoat) but overtime it will not be safe to occupy.

The Glue Society is an independent creative collective based in Sydney and New York. It was founded in 1998 by Gary Freedman and Jonathan Kneebone and now includes five other writers, directors and artists: Matt Devine, Luke Crethar, James Dive, Pete Baker and Paul Bruty.

Image Source:
www.gluesociety.com

Links:

www.gluesociety.com

Wind Paintings : Belgian artist Bob Verschueren

Posted on November 15, 2011November 15, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Today there are many artists who are working with art and the natural environment. I recently was sent a link of an interesting use of wind and landscape – the work of the late Belgian artist Bob Verschueren who created Wind Paintings in the 1970s and 1980s. To make the pieces he would go to a empty landscape and paint lines of crushed charcoal, iron oxide, chalk, and other pigments in a linear pattern. Over the time of a few hours, the wind would come through and create the works – and eventually blow them away.

On his website the artist writes a description of the works which states, “Natural pigments spread across the landscape with the help of the wind. The conjunction of three decisive elements: the direction and the strength of the wind, the landscape and its relief and the hand of the sower of color.” He also writes about how the first Wind Painting gave him the extraordinary sense of living his art – rather than creating it.

His other works include installations made of ephemeral materials including nettle and water lily leaves, sand, tree branches, moss, twigs, and vegetables.

To see more images of his Wind pieces and other art, you can goto his website – http://www.bobverschueren.net.

Links:

Bob Verschueren’s Website – http://www.bobverschueren.net

Barry Underwood at the Sculpture Center: Illusion and Installation

Posted on November 5, 2011November 6, 2011 by Kbaumlier

Last night I attended the opening at The Sculpture Center in Cleveland. Barry Underwood (who I teach with at the Cleveland Institute of Art), has an installation on view in the studioTECHNE Euclid Avenue Gallery.

In his photographs, Underwood transforms natural landscapes by combining elements of film, theater, light and land art into installations. This new installation is his first piece that is a temporary construction that can be physically experienced beyond the photograph. The work plays with illusion and reality and provides an engaging experience and insight into his photography process.

Many artists call works installation –but the focus remains on form. Underwood’s piece is a good example of a “true” installation. It is site-specific, temporary in its construction, and takes into account a broader sensory experience. Viewers have to navigate, look for clues, and explore to see the work. Similar to experiencing many of James Turrell works, the viewer has to seek out the work and navigate through a constructed space – while not exactly knowing what to look for or where to go.

In Underwood’s piece, the viewer navigates through two spaces –one in the front of the gallery which the artist called the “red space,” and the second space which is in the back. The work plays with perception and illusion – and is worth a view (or a walk/exploration.) The two spaces are a dichotomy between front and back; reality and illusion; and image and construction. I would love to write about what is in each of the rooms – (!) – but this would ruin the experience for those who have not seen the work yet.

The show is up until December 17^th. One suggestion – make sure you remove your sunglasses before entering the work.

Links:

Sculpture Center – Exhibit page

Barry Underwood’s Site

Interview with Barry Underwood

1000 Bicycles – as Never Seen Before

Posted on October 30, 2011November 2, 2011 by Kbaumlier

The Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has a new exhibition at Taipei’s Fine Arts Museum that opened yesterday which features a giant installation made of 1,000 bicycles piled in layers. The work is meant to reflect Ai’s perception about the rapid pace of Chinese social change.

The artist is currently confined to Beijing so the Taipei Fine Arts Museum had daily email exchanges with the artist to get instructions on how to mount and setup the show. The Chinese government says his previous two-month detainment was for tax evasion charges though many believe it was for his openly critical stance against their policies.

The show, entitled “Ai Weiwei, Absent, “ also features will feature 21 works includes photographs, 12 outsize bronze heads representing the Chinese zodiac, and the bicycle installation.

Through his work Ai addresses issues pertinent to contemporary China; including the loss of historic material culture due to rapid modernization and the effects of the global economy on traditional modes of production. His work also investigates broader themes, including perceptions of value, mass production and brand globalization, such as Coca Cola.

The exhibition runs from October 29, 2011 to January 29, 2012.

Links:

Ai Weiwei artist site

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

Free Ai Weiwei site