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This is the work of Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich. I knew of him, but I had never seen this installation until I visited his site, via the fantastic It’s Nice That. I’ve been thinking about ways the viewer can complete a work of art, and this is the simplest, funniest, and most elegant solution I’ve seen.
Here’s how it’s done:
Erlich made a big splash—heh heh—with his crazy swimming pool a while ago. It’s currently at P.S. 1. Photos from leandroerlich.com. Check out his many other cool works. Like this.
Even though I made this LAST summer, I’m counting it toward the current project. The current project only seems to have stalled. It’s still going full tilt inside my stuffy head.
This is in the Hemming’s home in Utah. It’s modeled after one in their front yard.
The Get Fresh Crew, Wheaton chapter.
The MICA summer MFA program has the intense, otherworldly feel of a summer sleep-away camp. And the counselors do drink a lot. I got pretty busy and lost track of my weekly progress reports, and now here I am, back home swimming with my girls.
So what just happened? I spent six weeks in Baltimore, working in a warm, bubbly art jacuzzi. I read a lot of poorly written theory. I made a goofy, ungainly cardboard contraption, and then figured out what it was. It turns out it’s an idea generator, and even though I have done my best to destroy it, I have not managed to turn it off yet.
I presented my work to 40+ people last week, and no one laughed—well, they did laugh, but in the right places. No one said, “Who let this guy into the program?” They pretty much considered my cardboard as if it were art, asked me good questions, and made me think even harder about what I do. Here’s what I do:
I walked my sculpture around the city, and used it to see things in new ways.
I found things to prop it up, and realized that these were new sculptures.
I cut it up (or boxes very much like it), and made it into something else.
I’m about halfway done with it, I think. You can see all the photos here.
How’s this for synchronicity? Gail sent me a link to a Pigtown blogger who is related to the first white baby in Baltimore, who pointed me to Maira Kalman’s transcendent blog which Jim had already Tumbld, pointing out that Benjamin Franklin mapped out my perfect day more than two hundred years ago. Thanks to all involved, especially Powerful Goodness.
