Venice Biennale Response

Biennale del Venezia:

Denmark Pavillion

I feel that when a piece of art stops you in your tracks and evokes an intense emotional response that is so personal, yet the piece is universal enough to touch many people, that is successful art. The Denmark Pavilion evoked that response for me. A number of artists worked together to create an experience, a place, that reflected the darker underbelly of domestic life and the struggles that happen within relationships and the home. 

One piece in the entry of the space had a mirror with flowers laying in front of it and a scrawled note written on the mirror reading "I'll never see you again." Another room had a heavy axe tied to the door on a rope so the door would slam closed behind you. I felt this exhibition represented powerful ideas executed in a recognizable and effective way.

Another aspect of this particular pavilion that worked so well was the lack of distinction between the pieces. There were no placards to distinguish the artist, title, date; there was nothing to distract from the work, and therefor from the entire experience of the space that was obviously the main goal for this group of artists. Good job Denmark!

Contrada March

Here it is! Our final animation.  For the presentation of this piece, we used 5 projectors along a dark wall on one of the streets in the Turtle Contrada.  Each projector served as a window and as the video moved through one of these "windows" the person holding the next projector would begin their movie, creating the illusion that the march continued from screen to screen, until all 5 were activated.  Throughout the duration of the piece, we played audio of the contrada singing their song, which we had previously recorded during one of their marches. 

Venice Biennale

One of the opportunities we've had through this program is to have experienced the Venice Biennale.  Located primarily in two large venues, and additionally in pavilions dispersed throughout the floating city, the Biennale showcases some of the world's most innovative and provocative new work.

A piece that has continued to play in my mind since my visit is a lovely animation I witnessed in the Italian pavilion at the Arsenale, by artist Valerio Berutti.  When I entered the room this piece was housed in, the first thing I noticed was a large painting of a young girl sitting in a chair framed inside a square of dripping paint.  The image is simple, using minimal line and color to poignantly convey the subject and her setting.  As I walked further into the space, I saw that there were several of these paintings, each slightly different, and each taking up its own wall on a cube structure that opened into a small theatre through one of its sides.  I was invited into this room by soothing, airy music emanating from the dark space.  I enjoyed the simple structures Berutti employed to make us aware of inhabited space and the effect it has on us.  With his painted wallls he built a house that we could enter, where we suddenly detached ourselves from all that was outside. Inside, I found the familiar images of the girl in her chair, only this time she was in motion.  She looked curious but content, safe yet trapped.  The repetition of her movement and of the music sent me into a simpler state of mind, one soothed by rhythm and cushioned containment.   

I noticed that the size of the projected animation was about equal to the scale of the paintings, both larger than life.  The connection between the moving pictures and the stills was an important part of experiencing this piece, as it allowed me to become closer to the artist's hand in the process of creating this work.  The childlike manner in which the paintings were made brought me to a timeless place where I could imagine myself painting in gestural strokes, watching the little girl emerge out of a line.  

Linear Works at the 2009 Venice Biennale

Tomas Saraceno's piece entitled 'galaxies forming along filaments, like droplets along the strands of a spider's web' is a unique linear sculpture that peaked my interest at the Venice Biennale. Upon entering the space viewers are confronted with a room of black elastic bands in somewhat chaotic order. Two line thicknesses comprise a drawing against stark white walls, ceiling and floor. Large eyehooks hold the tension of lines that create complex geometric patterns. The imperfect shapes that are created bring the sculpture into a sense of dynamic motion. Spectators are encouraged to enter the space and interact with the installation, but only to certain point. The viewer may pluck the strings lightly and walk through the space, but are not allowed to attempt to climb into its great height or pull excessively on the linear bands. As one traverses the space a sense of play is overwhelming. Interaction questions the role of architecture and functionality within an interior setting.

A second linear work located in the first room of the arsenale by Brazilian artist Lygia Pape entitled 'tteia I, C' also had several intriguing qualities. The viewer enters a dark lit room and centrally located is a large rectangular space with rectilinear columns comprised of gold thread that stretch from ground to ceiling at different angles. Unlike Saraceno’s piece this one does not allow for physical interaction. There is a distancing from the sculpture forcing the piece to become solely a visual experience. The act of looking at this piece elicits some beautiful responses. As the viewer moves around the sculpture, shifts in light transcend and descend the gold columns. It is these subtle nuances of light in relation to viewer movement that make this an intriguing visual experience.

These are some images we're using for our first project.  Last week, we experienced the Palio in Siena. During the days preceding and after the race, we encountered many contradas parading through the streets, often lead by the horse they would count on to win them the Palio.  Walking through the narrow streets, the sound of the contrada's song would signal their approach.  People would stand to the side to watch them.

We recorded one of these marches and then used Adobe Illustrator to create an animation sequence with the still frames from the video.  Final Cut was used to create the video,  and combine it with the audio.  

In a linear setup of 3M projectors, our final video will be displayed on the alley walls of this year's winning contrada, Tortuga (Turtle).