Friday, March 11, 2022

MASS MoCA (3/11/2022)

Friday, March 11, 2022
Traveling between Buffalo, NY and Providence, RI, we stopped at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.
Big Bling (2016, by Martin Puryear) was commissioned by
Madison Square Park Conservancy in New York City,
then it was moved to Kelly Drive in Philadelphia before 
arriving at Marshall Street Park for a 5-year stay; the
Big Bling earring can also represent a
shackle of the enslaved, or a beacon of hope
An electrical box on the street is covered
with MASS MoCA stickers
MASS MoCA is located in buildings (1860-1890) constructed
for the O Arnold and Company print works for fabric, then
in 1942 the site was purchased by Sprague Electric Company
that modified the building interiors for the design and
manufacture of electronics until 1985; in 1986 the idea of an
 art museum was conceived and MASS MoCA opened in 1999
Countdown I, II and III (2021, by
Rose B Simpson) is part of the Ceramics
in the Expanded Field
exhibit on the
first floor of Building 4
A piece from Restless Animal Kingdom
(2020, by Jessica Jackson Hutchins), a
performance work with four dancers who
interacted with 5-6 ceramic items (as seen
on a video), some of which were wearable
Teddy Bear Caryatid (2021, by
Francesca DiMattio) (KSS)
Teddy Bear Caryatid detail
Lego Caryatid (2021, by Francesca DiMattio) (KSS)
Lego Caryatid detail
Chair #8 with shards, part of The Pursuit
of Love 
(2021, by Nicole Cherubini) (KSS)
Untitled (List) (2018-2019, by Kang Seung Lee) pays
tribute to Singaporean-born Chinese ballet dancer and
choreographer, Goh Choo San, who died in 1987 of an
AIDS-related illness; although internationally known,
his identitification as queer was not proclaimed
The hammock is embroidered with a
list of San's work in 24k gold thread
Castillos (2021, by Armando Guadalupe Cortés) is a site-
specific installation, enveloping the columns in a wood and
adobe structure in reference to buildings in Mexico (KSS)
Objects in Castillos reflect the influence of
many cultures on post-colonial identities
in the American Southwest and Mexico (KSS)
Entry to the Close to You exhibit, with Love (2008/2021,
by Maren Hassinger) consisting of pink plastic bags
inflated with human breath and filled with love notes (KSS)
Wall Drawing 793A (January 1966, by Sol LeWitt) (KSS)
Building 7 includes three floors of re-creations of Sol LeWitt wall drawings (we managed to see only floor 2).
Wall Drawing 684A (June 1999) and Wall Drawings
631 and 631 (January 1990) (KSS)
Wall Drawing 335 (May 1980) & Wall Drawing 340 (July 1980)
(the camera could not handle the "op art" of straight lines!)
Wall Drawing 414 (March 1994), do you see a 3D effect? (KSS)
In the Light of a Shadow (2021, by Glenn Kaino) takes
up the second floor of Building 5; it was inspired by a
connection between protests from all around the world
In the Light of a Shadow is an approximately 30-minute show that begins at the top of the hour. We arrived at the half hour in time to see rotating spotlights create shadows of ships with music (by Dave Sitek) playing in the background.
Suspended rocks can be either an asteroid field or a
meteor shower created by rocks thrown in protest (KSS)
Many of the rocks have sails made from
found postcards that symbolize both
memory of and promise of life experiences
The end of the room has a "mirror" in the shape of a wall
in Northern Ireland that is inscribed "You Are Now Entering
Free Derry"; the mirror is pocked with dents created by
rocks being thrown against it, and the mirror also allows
you to become part of this universe you just explored
S-334473 (2019, by Sarah Oppenheimer),
located on the second floor of Building 6,
is actually kinetic art and we should have
turned this sculpture on its axis (KSS)
A sign on the wall encouraged you to look out at
River Street and see the multi-family Victorian rowhouses
in which Sprague Electric Company employees lived;
they are now part of The Porches Inn (2001)
Untitled (1991, by Louise Bourgeois)
The Couple (2007-2009, by
Louise Bourgeois) (KSS)
Forever in Your Debt (2018-ongoing,
by kelli rae adams) includes over 900
ceramic bowls that can hold the equivalent
of the average student loan debt ($37,000)
in coins; the insides of the bowls are red
Bowls will be filled with coins (about $40
worth per bowl) until the "debt" is paid
and no more red is seen
You can donate at kelliraeadams.com, and you will be
given your bowl/money back at the end of the installation (KSS)
A quick visit to Skyspace, one of several such venues created
by James Turrell; this one is titled C.A.V.U. (2013-2021)
In the re-purposed water tank, Skyspace
does have an oculus that can open, but
at this time it remains closed (KSS)
We were fortunate to get a reservation for the Into the Light (James Turrell) exhibit, thanks to a last-minute cancellation. No photos are allowed on the first floor of Building 6; so how does one describe art made with light? There were framed pieces that seemed to show a sliver of light, but as you walked past the "picture," it was as if you were seeing a three-dimensional object. There were several dark rooms with varying degrees of light that you were meant to experience while your eyes adjusted. Two rooms required further timed reservations, and we were able to visit Perfectly Clear (1991), the largest Ganzfeld chamber created so far by Turrell. "Ganzfeld" refers to the loss of depth perception when experiencing a lack of aural and visual stimulation, such as during a whiteout. In this huge room, we experienced whiteouts of blue and pink, with two occasions of strobe light flashes.
Us (2002, by Jarvis Rockwell) displays the artist's
massive collection of toys and figurines, which he
considers as avatars for ourselves (KSS)
More of Us, that were displayed on
about a dozen glass panels (KSS)
Us can be viewed from above or below
Now on the third floor of Building 6:
Words, words, words are seen in part of Inflammatory Posters
(1979-1982) and Ribs (2010) with vertically running letters
that arch over Barricade (2004), a horizontal running letter sign,
are some of the works of Jenny Holzer, who started by pasting
single-sentence Truisms on anonymous street posters
throughout downtown Manhattan in 1977
Deconstructed Piano is part of No Experience Required,
showcasing part of the collection of unusual musical
instruments created by Gunnar Schonbeck
Square Contrabass Guitar (by Gunnar Schonbeck)
is another of these instruments that are actually
played by professionals and amateurs
Cosmic Latte (2017, by Spencer Finch), on the second floor
of Building 8, represents the Milky Way, and it also mimics
the undulations of the Hoosic River flowing next to MASS MoCA

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