Arts Two Examples of Really Great Outdoor Sculpture
posted by on January 16 at 9:13 AM
The Olympic Sculpture Park Mania has begun. This weekend, the New York Times weighed in with a piece about the happymaking effects of Microsoft and Starbucks money. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer hit the money angle, too, dubbing Seattle Art Museum “the king of cash.” And the Seattle Times has done a lot of description, and printed a very nice graphic that online turns interactive.
My sculpture park windbaggery will be coming your way tomorrow, and while I’m not going to spend the next five words summing up 4,500, I will say it has been an outrageous pleasure being obsessed with sculpture, and I hope the park gives you all the occasion to do it after it opens on Saturday.
Public sculpture has long been a losing game for artists. They have to compromise to the point of oblivion. But I can think of at least two good examples on the campus of the University of California at San Diego, which has a serious collection.
This is Michael Asher’s Untitled (1991): the functional, commercial-style drinking fountain in the foreground. It is set on the axis with the American flag in the middle ground, and a granite landmark in the background commemorating Camp Matthews, a World War II training center and rifle range that occupied the land UCSD stands on now.
The piece has a wicked sense of understated humor, and it cuts to the core—using only corporate banality—of the link between violence and nationalism. The best part for me is that my late father-in-law, a brilliant Scripps marine biologist and a quiet agitator of his own—was on the university committee that accepted this piece into the collection. Jim didn’t like contemporary art, and neither understood nor liked this piece, but he voted for it anyway. That seems to me the perfect spirit to hold while voting for an artwork like this. It is a necessary work. I’m glad my family was part of it.
(Perverse addendum: the fountain has acquired the reputation of being lucky, so students stop by and drink the lucky water before tests.)
But lest you think I live on conceptualism alone, here’s another terrific sculpture on the UCSD grounds, and one that needs no explaining. You simply must go and nestle with it. It is 23 feet tall, and it was made of eight very large stones weighing 180 tons, in 2005. It sits in the grass and mostly giggles, though you fear it could have a tantrum right out there in front of the computer science and engineering buildings.
UPDATE: Somehow, I forgot to note that Bear is by Tim Hawkinson. Sorry!
(Perverse addendum: I would like the bear to have a tantrum all over the person who thought this PR photograph should have children running through it.)
Cool. My wife is a professor at UCSD and a bear fan . . . we love that stone bear!
Of course, we must hate children. They are evil. But they do give perspective to the size of the piece and the running helps set off the stone.
We could have had some student slackers lounging on the lawn I suppose. Would that have been better?
Jen - appreciate you highlighting our Flickr photo group the other week. Here is that link again for your readers! We have some great shots showing up in the group and look forward to seeing more from your readers after this weekend's opening!
http://www.flickr.com/groups/36699021@N00/
"The piece has a wicked sense of understated humor, and it cuts to the core—using only corporate banality—of the link between violence and nationalism. "
Huh?
I like the juxtaposition of the bear's essential coarseness with the angular, sleek-surfaced buildings were students go to learn to computer science and engineering. There is such a tradition of ignoring the forces of nature in the Golden State, this bear's potential 'temper tantrum' brings to mind California's history of earthquakes, floods, even race-riots. Nice!
"The piece has a wicked sense of understated humor, and it cuts to the core—using only corporate banality—of the link between violence and nationalism." (?)
Funny, I always saw it more as a representational testament to the nurturing effects of American hegemony made possible through a vigilant defense which affords the world the opportunity to drink deeply at the fountain of peace, prosperity and democracy.
The rock sculpture reminds me of the rock moster from Galaxy Quest.
Definitely the Galaxy Quest rock moster!
Jen: that is why the kids are in the picture - to instill the view with a sense of foreboding of the destruction to come.
We're all free to wear shortshorts and sleeveless shirts when drinking from public water fountains.
God, I love this country.
Plop. Art. Park.
It's like the stay-puffed marshmallow man. Except made out of rock.
funny
Yay, my alma mater! Jen, for "Untitled" neither me nor any of my friends drank the water there for good luck, but the understated humor in that statue is also that the chancellor's complex (aka UCSD Administration buildings) are directly to the right of the picture, so in effect the woman is "bowing" to the High Chancellor.
You can see all of the Stuart Art Collection pieces at http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/. The first Stuart piece installed, de Saint Phalle's "Sun God" inspired the yearly festival/concert/boozefest called (surprisingly) the Sun God Festival, and Murray's "Red Shoe" is a particular trippy piece that was about a 3 minute walk from my freshman year dorm.
"Well Jen, I had just set the camera up for the last timed exposure on the card/film of the rock teddy bear; pressed the button for 3 second delay and two kids run in front! Murphy's Law."
Hey Jen,
You forgot to mention Timothy Hawkinson's name as the person who created "Bear" for the UCSD campus.
Beth
Beth, I must have lost my mind. Ugh. Thanks for pointing this out. It's one of those weeks. I'll fix it!
"The piece has a wicked sense of understated humor, and it cuts to the core—using only corporate banality—of the link between violence and nationalism." (?)
Funny, I always saw it more as a representational testament to the nurturing effects of American hegemony made possible through a vigilant defense which affords the world the opportunity to drink deeply at the fountain of peace, prosperity and democracy.
Posted by You_Gotta_Be_Kidding_Me
HA! Brilliant counterpoint.
"Camelot!"
"It's only a model."
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