Ai Weiwei's installation

That sucks about Ai Weiwei's installation. I don't think there's much to debate about it - the museum had to close it, if anything for insurance policy. I had a job guarding/managing a pool and had to enforce restrictions that were necessary for few, and ridiculous for most others. But it was all to follow our insurance policy. I wonder if there could have been another material Ai Weiwei could have used instead.

Camille Utterback, Again

Last night I went to Camille Utterback's artist talk. I had never seen her work before that evening. It was interesting to be introduced to her work as she talked about it.

Most of Utterback's work is interactive, the viewer's touch and participation creates an image. The image that the viewer creates comes as a reaction from cameras and sensors and a program that Utterback herself coded (or designed). Since her works rely on audience participation, she has recently worked with public art and has plans for several more permanent public art projects.

Unlike the public art pieces that I have seen within the past couple of weeks for this class, Utterback's work constantly changes as the viewers of the piece change. Her pieces are responsive to space, interaction, and collaboration among the viewers. In many cases they aren't necessarily site specific, but they are designed to be interactive without disrupting a space. They also lack a permanency that public sculpture has. While there are permanent pieces of the work that are always on display (a projection screen, LED tubes of light), they rely on the viewer to become fully visually engaging.

Sunflower Seeds

Here's an article about Ai Weiwei's installation at the Tate Modern, London:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2010/oct/15/tate-modern-sunflower-seeds-ban

thoughts?

Public Architecture?

This week we have been considering the role of the public in public art. Successfully received public art considers the community that it is installed in. So does the same hold true for architecture. Should new architecture have to consider the community in the in the facade of the building. Architecture is argueably huge scale public art, so should the same considerations be in place for new buildings? Should the public be consideration when constructing a new space and if so in what way should they have an input.

Banksy

In early May of this year Banksy visited the corner of Randolph and Peoria and stenciled this image reminiscent of the baby carriage/union station scene in The Untouchables. The Untouchables, which was filmed in Chicago, deals with Al Capone and the corruption of the city in the 1920s. I don't think it's too much of a stretch to think of this piece as a reference to the corruption in Chicago in the 20's which then serves as a reminder of the corruption happening in City Hall right now. Did Banksy have this in mind when he created this piece? I wouldn't put it past him.

I also found some other sweet stencils on the same wall of this building. Three heads, red, black, and purple lined up vertically. The stencil's cool, but the spray paining job is a little sketchy. I noticed a lot of other pieces of street art on the same corner. It seems that Banksy's art sparked other artists to come to the same area.

Camille Utterback

Camille Utterback is an internationally acclaimed artist whose interactive installations and reactive sculptures engage participants in a dynamic process of kinesthetic discovery and play.One of my favorite is "Text Rain",she made it in 1992. In this interactive installation,people use their bodies to lift and play with falling letters projected on a wall. It is very interesting to see people interact with this kind of artwork,they become part of it,they are creating arts by their body movements.

Here's the link for a video about "TEXT Rain".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_u3sSffS78&feature=related

Saatchi

I find Charles Saatchi to be such an interesting figure in the art world. His position as a "famous" collector is a challenging concept. How does one become famous for buying other people's art?
He is an advertising executive yet he his also known for his impact on the art world. But can a collector really have an impact? Is that fair to the artists? Saatchi has become more famous than some of the art work that he owns. This idea of the all star collector appears to be a construction of the modern art world and the transformation of art as a commodity. Yet it is men like Saatchi who were the early supporters of contemporary art. Arguably without them artist like Damien Hirst would not have been able to continue to make art.
Yet how does this effect the art world, and the work that is being produced. The big question becomes...Is Saatchi a positive figure who gave/gives recognition and support to emerging contemporary artists? Or is he part of the problem, because he cornered the market of the YBAs and was a major player in communication of modern art? Or is he both?