viz. - sculpture

Brian Dettmer - Carving New Meanings into/out of Old Books

Megan Eatman — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 00:34:22 +0000

Libraries of Health and Complete Antique, Brian Dettmer.

H/T to Brian Gatten, Lauren Gantz and NPR

In honor of World Book Day (March 3--but it's not too late to celebrate!) NPR's visual culture blog, The Picture Show, featured work by Atlanta artist Brian Dettmer. Dettmer takes vintage books and carves them into sculptures that, as Mito Habe-Evans explains, "[deconstruct] the linear narrative determined by the structure of the book" and open the door for new interpretations. In giving new life to a supposedly dying medium, Dettmer's sculptures make an argument about the cultural space of physical books, now and in the future.

No title provided on website; Brian Dettmer

While Dettmer himself seems more or less optimistic about the future of books, his art suggests multiple readings. The pieces seem to suggest the incredible possibility of paper as a medium by showing that more can be done with it than we might at first think; however, whether this possibility would translate to continued use of books is unclear. It seems that rendering the human/book relationship as an aesthetic object gives credence to the argument that continuing said relationship is just nostalgia; while the human/book relationship is beautiful, this art suggests that it isn't necessarily practical. Of course, depending on audience, the argument that the human/book relationship is beautiful is in itself enough to justify the continued production of print texts. The relationship would be at least a little different from that you might have with a text you read on your Kindle, but not worse.

Screen capture from Dettmer's website; no title provided

These works also suggest that the physicality of a human/book relationship is part of what individualizes the experience of reading. It is because the books are paper that Dettmer can engage with them in this particular way, producing individualized pieces of art that represent a human/book relationship. Kindles have the mark of mass production; the fact that Dettmer uses vintage books with limited availability gives the appearance of a distinct and special origin. Even if a Kindle can be modified, physically or through programming, to make a piece of art, Dettmer's use of vintage books, which invoke images of the artist searching stores and calling suppliers, suggests that the history behind the pieces, and therefore their messages, will always be fundamentally different.

(Re)Constructing Bodies - Zackary Canepari's Art and the Real Girl

Cate Blouke — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:00:25 +0000

An image series of Real Dolls from photographer Zackary Canepari's blog

No, this isn't a photo-essay about the box of human heads found on a Southwest Airlines flight last June. But it's still a bit creepy. The ominous and evocative image above is from series of photos by Zackary Canepari, documenting the construction of Real Dolls - anatomically correct mannequins that run about $6,000 for those in the market. Not safe for work content after the jump.

An image series of Real Dolls from photographer Zackary Canepari's blog

You may remember the 2007 independent film, Lars and the Real Girl, which brought these otherwise obscure pieces of paraphernalia into the public eye. The quirky romantic comedy (with its PG-13 rating) rather skimmed over the sexual associations/use of the dolls in favor of a banal and sweet story about a lonely and socially maladjusted guy who just needed some company. But in this series of eerie photographs and short "documentary" video (bottom), photographer Zackary Canepari unearths a fragmentary and artistic approach to the life-size sex toys.

The images are uncanny and reminiscent of forensic labs or anatomy lessons. The rows of feet and teeth, framed by soft-focus, negative space, serve to disassociate the objects from the bodies they will be attached to, recalling notions of mechanization and assembly line production.

Despite how realistic the body parts may seem, the metal studs and exposed plastic remind us that these are manufactured, constructed objects. And, as a woman, it's somewhat unsettling to consider that creator Matt McMullen is literally building female bodies at the behest of male consumers.

However, Canepari's images, and especially the film, focus on the artistry involved in the creation of these "women." Regardless of any dubious or unresolved feelings I might have about the dolls' use, each one is unique, and their life-like quality isn't achieved without a certain craftsmanship.

I think that the images do evoke a kind of horror in objectifying the body. The photo above is especially serial killer-esque with its faceless plastic skulls and bodies suspended from the ceiling. And yet, I find it strangely compelling and beautiful at the same time.

In the video (below) Canepari interviews Matt McMullen, casting the creator as a skilled artist deeply invested in his creations. McMullen explains that he began with an interest in making a mannequin that was somehow more real than display models - something with curves, not super-model skinny.

"Honey Pie" from Zackary Canepari's video website

The Inner Life of Toys - The Art of Jason Freeny

Cate Blouke — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:18:33 +0000

Image Credit: Jason Freeny Moist Productions

Elieen's viz. post from a few weeks ago on Justine Cooper's photo-documentation of the American Museum of Natural History in New York has been bouncing around in my head ever since. It (re)kindled a long-standing interest I've had in both natural history museums and slightly morbid kinds of art. In both digital images and sculpture, artist Jason Freeny invests familiar children's toys with anatomical interiors, suggesting an inner life/death that both unsettles and intrigues.

Along the lines of natural history displays, this Mickey Mouse figure in particular speaks to an archival and archeological interior. The iconic Disney character has been a part of American culture for nearly 80 years now, and, as such, has gone through a series of evolutions and "lives." By granting Mickey an inter anatomy, replete with full-color intestines and other innards, Freeny argues for a life outside our imaginations. Mickey is a living, breathing (even though we can't see his lungs) figment of our imaginations. Animated by humans in both senses of the word, Mickey exists as an entity both different from and similar to ourselves.

Image Credit: Jason Freeny Moist Productions

Despite his three eyes, toes, and fingers, the Alien's skeleton also seems familiar. This Toy Story figurine literalizes the conceit of the film where toys come to life in the absence of humans. The 3-dimensional medium of action-figure turned sculpture adds to the "liveness" of the figure. While recent studies on Tyrannosaurus rex fossils have led scientists to conclude the dinosaur may have been cannibalistic, one wonders what this skeleton might indicate about its vessel. If we can create a fictional world for him to live in, what would this intertior tell us about that world?

Image Credit: Jason Freeny Moist Productions

Though as a child, this image of a My Little Pony might have horrified me, my adult self finds it both amusing and fascinating. The statue gives the doll an inner life that I certainly dreamed of in my youth, and might not have been surprised to discover. I remember feeling that dolls and toys could be hurt and could heal, that I had to be careful with them, and that though they may possess magical powers (like the ability to fly) they otherwise operated on the same principles as I did. Maybe that was just me.

Image Credit: Jason Freeny Moist Productions

Freeny's digital work mimics traditional anatomical charts hung in doctor's offices and classrooms. I particularly like the dissonance created by a balloon animal with a skeleton. The instructions at the bottom of the image demonstrate how to create a balloon-animal dog, and this strikes me as paralell to the evolution of a zygote. The poster suggests that we can call these creatures into being, and through their creation, invest them with life.

I wonder if the anatomical charts would be a useful tool for teaching anatomy to kids? I can't decide if they would disturb or delight. Biology never interested me much, but maybe it would have if interiors were more fictive and imaginative.

The University: instituting culture, institutional culture

Jillian Sayre — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:44:27 +0000

This summer I taught a rhetoric course that focused on the idea of a University. The course used Cardinal Newman's nineteenth-century treatise as a jumping off point but also looking at other ways a university might define itself as an institution. One of the more interesting discussions in class was one in which we investigated the relationship between art and the university...

The University of Texas, our home institution and object of study, has an archive (describing itself as a "world-renowned cultural institution") that not only houses important pieces of visual, textual, and performing art but also has its own galleries to put these objects on display. The building itself was recently renovated, and the atriums converted into "galleries" themselves that display the Center's significant collections on etched glass windows:

This is in addition to the University's art museum (a "cultural gateway"), which opened one of its two new buildings last year, a 124,000 square foot space that houses more than 17,000 works of art. When the museum opens its second building next year it will be the largest university museum in the country.
The space, time, manpower, and of course money (the Blanton project is estimated at $85 million) that the University has invested in art is somewhat astounding and the questions we asked in class were somewhere along the following lines:
How does collecting and displaying art further the mission of the university? What do these collections argue about the nature of the university among other institutions? Of the University of Texas among other universities? Does this accumulation at the level of high culture stand in contrast to the modern, investment-model university or can it also serve its mission?

Their answers were varied and interesting, but I won't offer them here. What I will do is give you the outline of a related assignment from the class. One obvious connection the university holds to visual art is through its use of sculpture and statue. These are everywhere on campus, offering the public an image of the University's values through its association with the figure. I gave them a map of statues around campus and asked them to explore.

Umlauf's Torchbearers outside the FAC

I told them that their task was to find and analyze one piece of public art on campus. That it should be a statue or sculpture visible to the public (not inside a building or in the art museum). Their job was to discover the argument of the piece and to consider the argument the university makes about itself by making the piece part of its public space.

Making a public argument with the Trevi Fountain

erinhurt — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 03:26:29 +0000

In my rhetoric course, I ask students to find and bring in examples of protests. This week, one of my students brought in a news story about a man (Graziano Cecchini) who poured red dye into the Trevi fountain in Italy.
According to The Guardian , "Police found leaflets near the fountain signed by a rightwing group claiming responsibility for the act. The leaflets said the red paint was a protest at the cost of organising the Rome Film Festival and symbolically referred to the event's red carpet."

The image Cecchini creates is striking - pictures of it abound on the internet in spite of the fact that Italian authorities had the paint and fountain cleaned up in a matter of hours. I find Cecchini's protest to be effective in terms of garnered publicity and awareness, but find that it drops the ball in terms of connecting viewers with his actual issues about the Film Festival. But, as we discussed in class, protests whose aim is first and foremost publicity often aren't necessarily concerned with making specific points but rather raising awareness in a more general kind of way. I'm not sure if I find this to be true most of the time, but it does seem to be the case with Cecchini's particular protest - and it works.

The Statue Controversy

LaurenMitchell — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 16:07:37 +0000

Because the purpose of memorials is to represent and remember a person or event, they make arguments. Once there is representation, there is argument. It's also clear that memorials make arguments because people get very excited about how and where someone or something is represented. That’s why the rebuilding of the Twin Towers site is still being discussed. This sort of passionate argument about memorials is also seen in University of Texas at Austin's statue situation. One part of the UT statue controversy is that many have called for the removal or modification of statues of those famous confederates Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis. This is not a new controversy and complaints have been made for years.

In addition to this, the University is attempting to diversify its statues in order to counter-balance the confederate representatives. This can be seen in the Martin Luther King statue installed in 1999 and the more recent statues of Cesar Chavez, which was just unveiled, and Barbara Jordan, which is still in the works. The Barbara Jordan statue is particularly interesting as an example of visual rhetoric, and maybe body-language rhetoric, because the design has gone through two versions. Barbara Jordan was the first African American to represent a southern state in Congress, and the first design had her sitting on a bench leaning back as if to take something out of a briefcase. Supporters of this design felt that it conveyed her as a politician of the people (anybody can sit next to her on that bench), who was not controlled by special interests during her time in office. Dissenters said that it didn’t portray her power or strength. Some said it didn’t look like her, and others wondered why she had to sit while other white, male statues such as Davis and Lee got to stand. In any case, that design was scrapped, and now they have a new one with her standing tall, hands on hips. I can’t see how you can get more powerful than that. Clearly who gets a statue and what that statue looks like says a lot about what people and what events are important to UT.