Stream of Consciousness - Part 1: On the topic of stone.
I've been infatuated with the idea of making forms from stone.
Or something similar. (Cement?)
I'm not sure what is the main thing that draws me to it. The mass? Physical weight? Presence? The (un)temporal nature of the word "stone"?
It's heavy. Unmoving. Unyielding.
Yet I want to explore freedom, movement, speed.
Sure. Why not.
Brancusi did it. I'm at least that good.
Okay.. yes, this one is in plaster.It's stone-ish. Shuddap. He did other works in stone.
This compulsion for stone got me thinking about materials and materiality. I feel that there is a strong trend to devalue materials.
In some instances, I adore the idea. USE WHAT YOU HAVE!
This guy: El Anatsui.
I have seen a few of his works in person. They are gorgeous.
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/el-anatsui-17306/who-is-el-anatsui
However, he's my exception, not my rule (Mark Bradford is another). Too often I see people creating work with random detritus, for a gazillion different reasons I don't usually believe. The main reason, they're available and they're affordable. Which are valid reasons, mind you. But I feel like material has a responsibility to the work. It has a part it must play. The work wouldn't exist without it. So we should give it a little respect.
The material also shows a commitment to a work. It's easy and quite non-committal to make works from scraps. They aren't particularly valuable, and if they are consumed in a work there is little love lost. But something like stone(marble) is difficult. It's expensive. It's heavy. It's difficult to work with. Choosing this as a material shows a commitment to an idea.
OK.
Back to stone.
Kind of.
Confession: I love the cement walls at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. I HAVE to drag my hand across them as I go up the stairs into the gallery.
I was reminded of this clown the other day:
Ugo Rondinone
I installed a few of his stone works while an art handler. The pieces were massive(tons) and huge (the small one was 8 to 10ft tall.) The boulders were all uncut but drilled through to provide room for guide rods that supported the work.
The Cheerful
2013
Bluestone, concrete and steel
Obviously, it wasn't an idea he spent much time with. (I zoomed out this screenshot from his website as much as possible, I still missed a few rows.)
But is this an idea I could riff off of? I have hundreds of little drawings sitting around. Could I realize them this way?
Possibly.
Now what you've been waiting for...
Pictures of rocks!
This little guy led me down the rabbit hole of the idea/practice of SUISEKI! More on that later.
And then there is this beautiful drawing by Vija Celmins. (Chef's kiss) We'll be seeing her later too!
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