Installation Art

Common Sculpture Tools – Orange Plastic Bowl

Andy Kennedy

A couple months ago I described some of my clay sculpting tools, a fork, a baseball bat, a stone with a sharp edge. Tools can also be a word or an idea, or a whole system of ideas, anything that can be used to affect change. The tools of this essay are vague abstractions grounded by physical elements of process. And presently featuring an orange plastic bowl, about 17” diameter and one inch thick all around.

It’s very rounded because this bowl was part of a sphere that was once a float for a fisherman’s net. I found this orange plastic bowl buried in sand on the beach of Ft. Stevens park by Astoria and hauled it home. It’s surprisingly heavy at over ten pounds. I’m going to pause, because there was a time when I did not know what this thing really could do. That was a time of unknowing, but keen recognition that this orange bowl seemed to have Potential written all over it. Like being handing a big puzzle piece that is connected to a huge new view of the world. Finding this orange hunk of plastic was like a wardrobe that leads to Narnia or hearing at a planning meeting for International Sculpture day that an empty storefront adjacent to the CAVE might be available for art installation.

There were a few moments in the middle of International Sculpture day within the bustle of other artists setting up demonstrations and Vancouver residents walking into the PNWS event. I was there, in the middle of an installation that I co-created with Amber Metz (AKA Aim Axon) called Meditation and Manipulation playing with one of the 200+ bamboo sticks that I brought into the CAVE Adjacent space over the month leading up to the event. I stood there observing yet another wondrous property of an orange plastic bowl, a piece of found object art that I now call the haFast forms a cone with my hand at the apex and I’m in that state of discovery and surrender to wonder spontaneously conjured, hyper-present, ready and willing, at the axis of crafting reality and it occurs to me, “The quality of this moment is the thing I want to share”.

The Belly – An interactive art installation of art in public places

Art Installation by Aim Axon

The senses, how enticing, visceral, our primal instincts… unnourished. The Belly was created to awaken our healthy and innate urges within ourselves, within nature itself. A 20 minute sensory experience crafted to open doors, unlocking the tight control that represses and denies the very essence of who we are and the Earth we live on.

Alisa Looney experiencing The Belly - an art installation by Aim Axion. — Alisa Looney experiencing The Belly

Into the chaotic jungle, through angles of bamboo, near the mind altering glows, enter The Belly. Feet undressed, pass through the veil, greeted by one glowing light. The ground soft, inviting a seat ~ lay ~ crawl ~ stretch. Look around, Earth is hiding in the darkness. Trees, flowers, scents of rosemary, lavender, and lemon. The sky has an underground feeling, wet and mountainous. Come closer to the light, see your reflection. Put your skin in the Earth and Water…touch your body…the elements so wonderful, so giving, have you forgotten?

It wasn’t who she thought she knew, but who they used to be
She whispered to the wind at night, preserving bits of memory…
Excerpt from the poem written by Jessica Stroia

Vibrating sound surrounds, undulating in emotional spectrum: fear, anger, repression, hunger, sexuality, ecstasy, sensuality, gentleness, unknowing, meditation, renewal. All here, seeping and pouring through our souls like the streams and rushes of Water.

Photo of The Belly - an art installation by Aim Axion.

As experiencers came out of The Belly with mud on their faces and a curious look in their eye, many greeted me with warm hugs. Some expressed they had feelings of being in the womb, being deep within and tending to the core. Being in a mystical and sacred place, similar to a sweat lodge. Being close to Earth’s weaving roots…

This journey has been so fruitful and fulfilling. Thank you all who interacted and took a moment to feel.

Musical appearances by:

• Nature – Spirit, Fire, Air, Water, Earth, the Crow and native birds

• Amber Metz (Aim Axon) – Composition and recording, female vocals, planetary patterns, bamboo, tingsha bells, chimes, xylophone, Tibetan singing bowls, wood drumming, rainstick, gong, whistles, effects

• Dave Gonzo – Dejembe drumming, bamboo, Rick Gregg’s bells

• Matt Weiers – Clarinet, flute, xylophone

• Chayo Wilson – Tibetan singing bowl, bells, xylophone

• Andy Kennedy – Male throat singing

Listen in a quiet and dark space at » www.aimaxon.bandcamp.com

Special thanks to:

The elements for nourishing our very existence, allowing us to feel the senses and experience this stay on Earth.

Andy Kennedy for stoking the fire to this conscious experiment, for being an intriguing collaborator and a whimsically supporting hand. Andy, thank you for creating the engaging jungle atmosphere outside The Belly room, which encouraged the audience to touch – play – wonder – let go.

Also within the jungle, Craig Dorety for lending his hallucination chamber and Joseph Cartino for his indigenous dangling decor.

Chayo Wilson for her spiritual guidance and all around kindness and support.

Matt Weiers for sharing audio knowledge and lending his recording equipment and handsomely crafted singing bowls.

Dave Gonzo for harnessing the essential and primal animalistic forces.

Jessica Stroia for her surreal poetry, elegant flower reef and veil decor.

Terri Elioff for her excellent seamstress skills that made the ground oh so comfortable.

Jennifer Corio and Art at the Cave gallery for making the use of this space possible.

And of course, to the Pacific NW Sculptors who donated materials and for their artistic encouragement.

Photo of Pacific Northwest Sculptors member Aim Axion inside The Belly - an art installation. — Amber Metz (Aim Axon)

The Cave in Vancouver, Washington hosts show by Top Sculptors from Oregon and Washington

The International Sculpture Center, (the publishers of Sculpture Magazine), some 4 years ago suggested that there be an International Sculpture Day. Not surprisingly sculptors and sculpture organizations around the country thought this was a good idea.

This is our third year of participation. It is a thing we look forward to all year. Much effort goes into preparations and not enough can be said about the volunteers who put it together.

This year the event was held at The Cave gallery in Vancouver WA. The gallery mounted a juried show of member’s works for the month of April 2018 with an opening on Friday, April 6th. International Sculpture Day was celebrated on Saturday the 21st. On that day three artists gave talks, demonstrations of welding and ceramic construction were outside and the vacant storefront next door was transformed into a space for immersive and interactive installations. Janet Julian provided acoustic music on a vintage Gibson guitar.

Demonstrations were provided by Dave Gonzo, (welding), and Chayo Wilson, (ceramics). Also featured in that area were additional works by those two artists which included a rather remarkable spider fire pit by Dave. Note the glass eyes glowing from the fire within.

Immersive Works were set up in the vacant storefront next door. Just to the left of the doorframe a 3D printer provided by Proto Pasta of Vancouver was busy squirting out tiny gnomes. The floor, walls and ceiling were festooned with assorted segments of bamboo. Some pieces were meant to be rearranged as one saw fit. Curious items were here and there. Further up a passage was a box fixed to the wall. In it were a number of LEDs strobing in unison. A knob on the side of the box could control the frequency. One inserts one’s head into the box and then manipulates the knob to create the most desirable hallucinations. Not anything like flying monkeys but rather interesting moiré type patterns of dots. Those subject to seizures were clearly warned away. Flying monkeys have never hurt anyone by the way.

The Belly was just on the other side of the corridor. That was small darkened space lit by a salt lamp, the floor covered with pillows and a soundscape coming from hidden speakers. Artist Talks were introduced by Jennifer Corio in the main gallery. She talked about International Sculpture Day and our participation in it for the past 3 years. George Heath the current president of PNWS introduced the organization and talked of its purposes and goals. Three artists then spoke for about 15 minutes each. Sue Westfall Quast described how her art developed and intersected with life over time. Craig Dorety, a light sculptor, spoke about how the peculiarities of LED lights could be utilized creatively and further how such lighting can interact with the mind. The strobing chamber mentioned in Immersive Works paragraph was one of Craig’s pieces. Chas Martin spoke of creating a piece so as to control the space around it and using that space to elicit a response from the viewer. He also described how his current work developed from line into sculpture.

To Tomorrow and Back – A public art installation in Shanghai

A public art installation in Shanghai

I’ve done the trip into tomorrow 4 times now. And by the trip into tomorrow, I mean a flight across the International Date Line to Asia. This trip was for a public art installation – to install a show for artist Jim Campbell from San Francisco. In fact, all my other trips to Asia were to set up shows for Jim. If you haven’t seen his work, it is definitely worth checking out. I went to Shanghai to install 5, large and highly technical pieces at the Chronus Art Center, a prominent art space sponsoring contemporary technology art. While I could talk endlessly about Jim’s work, what I really want to describe is Shanghai itself. Shanghai is nestled just inland from the Yellow Sea on the eastern coast of China. As nestled as any city of 24.15 Million people can be: Shanghai has SUBURBS of up to 10 million people. I don’t think I can overemphasize the sheer volume of humanity… and yet it never felt overcrowded. The subway system is extensive, modern, efficient, and even clean. I rode it several times during rush hour, and while there were large crowds, the crowds flowed smoothly almost like water. And even with the dense crowds, I never felt the crunch like I have in NYC on a busy day….or what I imagine some subway lines are like in Tokyo. Even the streets (mostly…well at least the modern ones) are wide. Almost everything seemed modern….like preserving the old is not a high priority.

Although, there are some things that get preserved. During my time there I was able to visit 3 beautiful temples, each in essence, a public art installation: The Shanghai City God Temple, The Jade Buddha Temple, and the Jing’an Temple (recently rebuilt due to fire, but originally dating back to 250AD). In addition to the temples, I visited Yu Garden and the adjacent Yuyuan Tourist Mart for some shopping. Another wild shopping experience was the TianZhiFang: an old neighborhood turned into a tourist shopping area with narrow alleyways and abundant food choices. Here you can have your caricature sculpted while eating meat on a stick.

Sometimes things come up during a public art installation of technology based art. Like a piece malfunctions or new parts must be sourced. So, when traveling in foreign countries I am always on the lookout for places where I might source these parts. Shanghai has a centralized place for sourcing electronics: the SEG Electronics Marketplace. This is a 10 story building filled with small booths where vendors sell a large variety of specialized electronics related products. It was so satisfying to find products that I had heretofore only been able to research online before buying. Now I know there is a place in the world where one can.

Portland Winter Light Festival promotes art in public spaces

George Heath

The Portland Winter Light Festival is going as I write this. Last year we chickened out due to rain. This year we did not. The Max line is not far from here and there is a stop right in the center of the activity. The Portland Opera was singing on the Portland Spirit boat. Light displays were setup between the Portland Opera building , OMSI and east to the Oregon Rail Heritage Center. The festival is all about messing with light. It has it coming after all. The first thing we saw were counter rotating circles of steel, lit from behind with various symmetric patterns plasma cut into them. Variations in the patterns caused some surprising moiré patterns to occur. Glass globes that hummed deeply when stroked were being happily caressed. At the rail museum 25 or so circular fluorescents bonged at various tones when one passed underneath. People were crashing into each other there. A large tesla coil was throwing 15 inch bolts, (1,140,000 volts to do that), also at the rail museum. There the locomotives were lit beautifully. Nothing like a steam locomotive lit from within to generate a sense of romantic awe. There were at least two places where people could play with large amounts of sudden flame.

Remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz where the wizard is on the screen and huge flames suddenly roar? You could do that for yourself. There was a line.