It is so refreshing to bring a lay-person to an art gallery and witness them having a great experience. Its important to me that people have a good experience when taking in something somebody has created. Of course, there cant be many artists who DONT want their viewer to have an experience, and indifference is worse than anything else - worse than misunderstanding, boredom or disappointment. Certainly one could not be indifferent towards the plasticised cadavers of Bodyworks, pickled sharks, unborn lambs or a monumental quadraplegic. But I am probably different to my contemporaries in that I wish people a pleasing and contemplative experience, or if an unpleasant one - one that deals with sensual reflexes rather than cognitive ones. It was with this in mind that I took my partner to the Dan Flavin Retrospective. He is the barometer for me of what is important. OK it might not be that grand a scheme to make art that is so simple and acessible, and I may get accused of appealing to the lowest common denominator, but to be honest, I didn't see that many Sun readers at the exhibition!
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untitled (to you, Heiner, with admiration and affection), 1973
I took some voice notes when I went around the exhibition. This was the first work on show (no. 1 on the plan), and the eerie green light beckoned seductively through the door. There was a strong sense of curiousity that drove me towards entering this space, as I'm sure it must have been for other visitors. The coloured glow that eminates from behind the ticket-check is mysterious and enticing. We were drawn in like moths to a flame.
I noted while walking around this green barrier that people who stood near it seemed to have a pink halo around them. Their body edge must have contrasted so much with the florescent green that the eye created this magenta aura as a kind of differentiation between the light/dark and area/form. I am always contantly amazed by what the eye and brain can conjure out of any given situation, and when I got to the bookshop I went mad buying a heap of books about colour and perception!
When I got to the Icons (no.2 ) I noted that I had no idea what Masonite was! I noted I was struck by the red and yellow tubes combined together - this was my favourite piece out of this group, although I really did like the tubes over the painted coloured squares. I thought they were very interesting. Pity I didn't explain why at the time. If only I'd had a pencil and paper!
Monument 4 (piece no.6) I was very intruiged by too. My voice notes dont really explain this very eloquently "Looks like a Red Crossbow. Its arranged so that the top light only reflects off the ceiling: when you look at the reflection on the floor it just looks like an arrowhead pointing to the corner - which is quite an interesting use of reflection and the trick of the eye: what the eye sees and what the eye doesn't see. Also the fact that people are walking around casting shadows everywhere makes quite an interesting spectacle."
Sounds like something a 16 year old chav would emit doesn't it! Unfortunately I had to record something, I didn't have my sketch book, I was in somewhat of a hurry because I was not on my own, and the staff there do not like you having a mobile phone - so I was having to mutter into it rather surreptitiously!
Athough I am not as well-read as Flavin I am familiar with Tatlin's theoretical tower - and the ideas and drawings of it in various guises and by various artists did actually inform my work last year when I built a tower of clay sticks. For some reason I am reminded of Gaudi's Sagrada Familia when I look at the Tatlin tower in its original sketched state. Maybe its because of the curves and holes contained in this eccentric twisted structure soaring up to the clouds.
Voice Note 5: 'In the "Institute Of The Arts" Room you come across a work called "To Janie Lee 2" - its like magic - the colours that hit the wall are completely different colours that appear to be the fluorescent lights - and.. it IS almost like magic.'
Voice Note 6: 'With the Helen Winkler 1972* work the cool white and the warm white fluorescent lights 8 foot square its hard to appreciate the work because it instantly calls to mind office spaces - especially with the "warm white" fluorescent lights which seem to be ubiquitous."
I felt guilty making such ugly and blind/bland associations - bringing my sad and empty baggage to the spectacle - but alas sometimes you cannot help but pollute the sublimely beautiful with the mundane...
*Haven't found any reference to a work of this name since the show but I did have a brief look at Helen Winkler and her association to Dan Flavin.
A nice article on Dia...
http://www.gradewinner.com/p/articles/mi_m1285/is_6_33/ai_103672331/pg_2?pi=gdw
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