Topic: John Gerrard 'Directions' Hirshhorn Exhibition

I went to see the Hirshhorn exhibition for John Gerrard, the artist I posted about here. I was waiting for the images I took of it before making this post, but since they weren't on my camera I haven't been able to get them yet. Either way, you really can't experience his work accurately at all through still images, which is why I was so glad to see it. The pieces shown were:


> Dust Storm (Dalhart, Texas), 2007
Realtime 3D projection, 4.5m x 6m













> Animated Scene (Oil Field), 2007
Pair of table-mounted monitors, each: 46 x 59 x 21 in (117 x 149 x 54 cm)











> Grow Finish Unit (near Elkhart, Kansas), 2008
Realtime 3D projection, 4.5m x 6m










Grow Finish Unit was my favorite, although unfortunately it was shown on a monitor and not projected as his website has it listed. The detail was incredible; as the camera made its way closer to the buildings you could peer inside them through the windows. It was really relaxing to sit and watch these pieces as the camera panned slowly around the subject, a feeling that contradicts the conceptual theme against the oil usage and slaughterhouse techniques of American food production. Nonetheless, I think the display methods was effective in presenting the information in a very engaging way.

Dust Storm was the only one that was projected large. The storm references the dangers that our over-farming of land can cause. It was interesting, but the storm seemed very static, which detracted from the passage of time element that his other work embodies so well. It did seem to billow like a cloud, and since I've never seen a large dust storm It could be much more realistic than I'm giving it credit for though. I still wish that Grow Finish Unit had been projected large instead. The final piece showing oil rigs was a bit less engaging for me than the other two were. It seemed a little less fleshed out and detailed.

The exhibition was amazing to see, but I was very disappointed that I couldn't really experience that element of time that intrigues me so much about the work. I went back to see it just before the museum closed at 5:30, so it was close to sunset in the pieces and that was awesome to see, but I really wanted to see them at night. It just boggles my mind that these works are still churning on as I write this now, changing with the seasons, sun, and clouds. To really allow the scope of his work to be experienced it should be available as a live online stream or displayed somewhere with 24 hour public access, like a sort of shop display or something.

I was also a bit disappointed to find that Oil Stick Work was not part of the exhibition. With the worker that meticulously paints a barn throughout a shift each day, it represents the most tangible evidence of time found in any of his work, something that could be seen even during museum hours.

The work was nonetheless incredible, and my disappointments are really just due to my longing to see more of each piece. I'll no doubt be checking up on it anytime I'm in the D.C. area between now and the exhibition's spring closing.

Visiting Artists? Project Winterfood show

Not specifically a visiting artist per-say, but the event exhibited a number of excellent student submissions to raise awareness of the importance in buying local. The project targeted three foods that will be locally available this winter: apples, sweet potatoes, and spinach, yum! Seriously though I like that stuff, and since my photography has taken such an environmental approach this semester I've been trying to start doing more things like buying local produce and taking action with local environmental groups. So needless to say I was excited to attend the show, which was incredibly well put together by a group of graphic design students. There was local music, local produce to eat and buy, recipe's, fliers for farmers markets in the area, and a great selection of artwork based around the theme. The event was at 1509 W Main, but the artwork will be displayed throughout December in Gallery5. Below are images from their website along with a few cell phone shots I grabbed of some of the pieces I really liked.
















http://www.winterfood.org/
http://www.gallery5arts.org/Home/80D8F7A3-33C7-4EE2-9E77-C2325D536A54.html

Competition: Hotshoe 'Reflections' Contest

This was my entry into a contest by Hotshoe Cards with the theme 'reflections' :

Competition: 7th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

I entered 7 images into the 'altered images' category, here's a screen grab of one of the confirmation emails:

Visiting Artist: Amy Hauft

The lecture and exhibition by Amy Hauft was very interesting. Overall, I liked the work that was exhibited, especially the inclusion of the spiral staircase that provided interactivity and an excellent view of the sculpture, which really lent itself more to that perspective. However, I think the foam landscape forms could have been constructed to come across just as well from both viewpoints. From ground level you could see the cracks where they didn't conform flush with the table surface, which was distracting and kind of leaned more towards a somewhat tacky, crafty feeling that didn't blend with the fluid and sound craftsmanship of the table they resided on. The glittery sprinkles didn't help the case either. Once again though, from the staircase these tidbits were not nearly as noticeable. I also think the foam pieces could have been larger and more continuous. The small sculpted mountain forms were individually well made but in relation to each other and the table they seemed sort of a last minute addition. The arm of the table that did contain one big foam form was by far the most successful use of that media, resembling a sort of spiraled whirlpool. The small sugar staircase in the center was really neat as well. I didn't even realize it was sugar and not wood until she mentioned it and I saw it up close. I also really enjoyed the small model of the installation that was off too the side. Overall, the piece was excellent as seen from the spiral staircase above, but had some distracting flaws at ground level.

Artist: Maximilian Haidacher

Courtney referred me to this photographer's website. I can't seem to find much of anything about him, but the slew of images on the site as well as on flickr are incredibly profound. The European landscapes portrayed make me wish that the two years I spent over there didn't come during the camera-less half of my life, as so many of those memories have been lost. He covers the strip mining that is taking place there as well, something that his aesthetic reproduces perfectly. They're very deadpan, with the kind of muted color, expansive spaces, and careful compositions that just keep my eyes begging for more, which led me to the other sites linked on his. There seems to be a whole group of photographers with similar websites and art aesthetics, all with an amazing knack for capturing the essence of a landscape, the emotions of a person, or just the right crop of lines and colors in seemingly any locale. Here are some of Haidacher's, with titles when available.

series: deux


















series: alpenrose




















series: un


















series: winter






















wind




















series: thron




















series: erz



































series: kies

































































untitled flickr photo


















http://mxdesigns.de/

Topic: Coal River Mountain

Coal river mountain has been the current mountaintop removal news story for the past few weeks due to the initiation of a mining site by Massey Energy. The reason it's so notable is because of the proposals to create a wind farm along the ridges instead of blasting it to pieces for coal. Studies have shown that the area has high wind potential, creating energy, jobs, and revenue in the same way that a strip mine would but without all the environmental damage and community health effects. Because of this potential for a much greener energy usage it had become somewhat of an icon in the movement against coal, and the initiation of the strip mine there just goes to show how much an influence the coal industry has on the American energy market, holding it back even where a path has been cleared to move forward. As of very recently the blasting has been halted, at least temporarily, so there may still be hope.

This mountain lies just south of Kayford where I visited, and the operation can be seen off in the distance from Larry Gibson's mountaintop. The Coal River itself, which runs through the valley, was named so because John Peter Salley discovered coal nearby and on its banks in 1749. To quote Judy Bonds who was interviewed in the film Coal Country, "If he had known what agony it would have caused, he’d have covered it up and kept his mouth shut."

Coal River mountain is the distant mountain, beyond the Kayford Mtn site in the foreground of the picture above.