Dynamo : An Experiment in Duration, or Perversely Dense?

The exhibition at the Grand Palais, Dynamo covered an entire century worth of art dealing with Light and/or Movement.  The works presented ranged from overwhelming light installations, to op-art paintings.  As an enthusiastic, rather naive viewer, the exhibition itself proved to defeat me, mentally and physically.  The works were organized according to sixteens perceptual themes : openwork, permutation, concentric/eccentric, interference, immersion, distortion, tactile, grid, pulsing, abyss, force field, cloud, halo, maelstrom, uncertain space, and celestial.  That certainly seems like a whole lot for one person to think about in the course of a few hours.

Truth be told, I couldn’t wait to leave Dynamo.  I wanted to see everything, but after the first third of the exhibition, my head was throbbing, and my mind was exhausted.  I am enamored with simplicity, and Dynamo absolutely lacked this.  From one moment, I as bombarded by flashing bulbs, and almost immediately, another work was demanding my attention.  Contemplation was at a premium, and sensory experience demanded quite a lot from a viewer.  Dynamo took on a huge task conceptually.  If we consider light and movement as separate conceptual undertakings, there is surely enough quality content available to fill a space like the Grand Palais.  The institution was kind enough to provide sofas periodically for viewers to lounge between rooms, and take a short break, but I argue that the exhibition as a whole would have been stronger if these breaks were curated in to the space to create a more leisurely pace.  Just because movement is a focus in the exhibition, one cannot forget the many forms human movement takes, especially moments of stillness.  

Even as viewers moved in to spaces of darkness or slight blindness, the entry to these spaces was clumsy and anxious.  Entering James Turrell’s work “Cherry” I gripped the walls, stumbling in to other confused viewers and by the time I reached the space, my experience was disturbed.  I believe that the curators had good intentions by developing an anxious speed to move throughout the work, and by using moments of complete darkness to accentuate the presence of light, but these kinds of experiences are not welcome to groups of viewers.  When I attend an exhibition, I don’t go to be alone, I am aware that there will be many other people attempting to experience the work.  

Fairly soon after entering the space, I felt my eyes tiring, repulsed by op-art.  I imagine the rooms of paintings were designed to allow the viewer to rest for a moment and contemplate the work, but the images were visually harsh.  I appreciate ample space between objects, and felt the rooms of Dynamo were far too clustered.  It became easy to pass up whole walls of works because I was so

overwhelmed by the density of objects.  I wish that the curators at the Grand Palais had taken advantage of the abundant space by filling it sparsely, and really honing in on fewer works that better defined their goals rather than filling a space with vaguely connected works.  Sixteen topics of conversation is at least eleven too many topics for any exhibition.  While I appreciate taking on huge tasks, simplicity to me is poetry, and has a greater lasting effect.   

   

Keri - Fun Pics

This is the way we blog (Wifi doesn't work in the room)

Gelato! 

I Lost 20€, Teresa found it and retuned it to the front desk! (that's the hero in the background there)

Washing socks in the sink....

Stopped for some chocolate - possibly named fairy food :) sooo good

Photo people feeling really good after our visit to the photography archives at the national library :)

Tea and treats 

Jessi eating speculoos gelato 

Gazing out on to the city with a gargoyle 

wall of green at the quai Branly 

Keri - Arab Institute & Glass House

Today was another cool architecture day. 

Arab World Institute 

The entrance

The amazing building with its aperture windows - they open and close like a camera depending on the sunlight (or they used to... we didn't get to see any of them move)

View from the top of the Institute. Amazing view of Notre Dame. 

Inside, staircase

The Glass House

Front of the glass house, same 5 principles of Le Corbusier 

We got a private tour of the building. Very exclusive with a GREAT tour guide. 

I've seen pictures of this house before but being in it and learning all the details behind it really engaged me. The owner still uses house so we were only allowed to take pictures of the outside of the building. I tried my darn-est to sketch and scribble down all the fun-functional-facinating facts. 

The front glass is not the original glass, it had to be replaced. Also, an old lady lived on the top floor who did not want to move, so they built around her. 

Backyard, Andrew - English architecture researcher tour guide extraordinaire, floodlights keep the privacy 

sketches sketches sketches. Notes notes notes. The whole house had movable parts like stairs that came apart so you could wash them. Hygiene and movability were big principles through out. 

The original was a gynecologist who specialized in infertility, so his wife had the windows so you could only see the tops of the trees in case her kids were out in the backyard. The grand staircase was grand and it led from the office/operating room to the living spaces. The glass wall provided a lot of beautiful light in the salon upstairs. 

The house was a treat to visit, and so custom made. 

bye! 

Natalie_Hair Exhibit

Hair and Pride

While visiting the Quai Branley museum we not only were able to see primitive pieces from the Philippines, we were also able to see those pieces juxtaposed against a special exhibit about hair and how it has kept its significance for a number of tribal rituals over the years. 

I had made it halfway through the exhibit when i came upon a video piece that was showing woman during the 30's era who were suspected of sleeping with the enemy getting their hair shaved. The photographs, but especially the video were so haunting to me. I know much about the history of World War 2 and the surrounding years, however, I wasn't aware that the shaving of heads extended to friends of the enemy in this way during these years. 

From my Notes: 

in the museum there is

marching

i hear it in the back, behind the walls

its the shuffle shuffle I imagine she made

as they poked her back

back in line

and I didn't think they were the enemy

I dont even know her

or them

or if they were nice people

but I do feel 

that they 

dont deserve to 

be cut

And these were some more photographs from the rest of the exhibit. 

Reflecting

Its hard to believe that we really only have two more days left in Paris. I have seen so much in the last thirteen days that it’s hard to comprehend and digest it all. While we still have two full days left, I feel like a lot of the things I’m thinking about right now are relating to the culture here. One of the biggest themes that I’ve been thinking about over the course of this trip, particularly since Versailles, has been the pace of this culture. The environment, the organization, as well as the city allows for moments of reprieve and relaxation. I’ve found a strong connection to seeing others find these moments within different places because I feel that this city can be extremely over-stimulating at times (for me). Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing-just extremely different than what I’m used to in Milwaukee. I think that this is a culture where a lot of the population seems confident and self-aware. Whether it’s stopping on a bridge for 5 minutes just to look out at the canal, or it’s similar to the woman who I was observing at Versailles who overlooked it for 15 minutes, there is a certain level of comfort within being vulnerable in that moment that I’ve been trying to capture. I know that I’ve had a number of moments on the trip where I’ve felt that way, and I think it’s inevitable for anyone who enters this city to experience the same emotions. I think that this would be a really interesting and rewarding direction for me to head in for the studio portion of the final. 

"I'm in a glass case of emotion"

Le Cartier and Maison de Verre were both spectacular buildings that were made almost solely out of glass and steel. You don’t find many buildings such as these in the US or in the world. I shouldn’t be combining these buildings together in a post, but I just love the architecture of glass buildings!

Maison de Verre’s exterior has circular glass blocks that form into panels. The glass however, has a transparency that blocks from someone viewing from the outside. It was considered, “private”, but on the inside held a wonderful display. Unlike the La Roche House, Maison de Verre’s interior was shown like nothing had changed from the 1930’s. Furniture was all in place and in pristine condition. It blew my mind that the house had desks from 1919 that looked like it wasn’t affected by any disaster or decay. There was this great staircase in the back of the house that was made completely out of black cement with cage. They way it turned reminded me of eerie stairwell. I think the most awesome thing about the house, was that it was able to light up at night via lights shining down on it. In all, the house had some qualities that was reminiscent to the Deetz house from Beetlejuice.

Cartier’s structure was nothing like I ever seen. Metal beams held together the building off the ground, something that was seen at the Branely. But instead of giving privacy to the offices above the Ron Mueck exhibition, the glass clear as day to the street. Of course before I get scolded for going on about the building in general, I should probably do a brief summary of the assignment given at the Mueck exhibition.

As a group we had to conclude a theme to his gallery. On top, there was a general theme of sacrifice. It shown people and things in these instances where they had to give up to support another. One thing that stood out from the rest was this chicken strung up from the ceiling. It was plucked and looked to be ready to cook. From a far, I had no idea what it meant and thought it was the strangest thing. But looking closer, I saw that the chicken had damp eyes and a single drop of water on the tip of its beak. It looked like it had cried in its last minutes of life before being sacrificed for human consumption. Though the top floor exhibition primarily shown human sacrifice, you kind of forget that animals go though the same thing. Whether it’s for the same species or differ.   

Fondation Cartier

 © Thomas Salva/Lumento for la Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain

Paris is a city of windows, I thought as I thought outside our hostel one morning, facing the canal, watching people open their windows to peak out at the day. We’ve learned that in certain buildings windows could denote the hierarchy of those residing with in—shopkeepers on the street level, with the large display windows. Just above them lived with wealthy, with large windows and ornate carvings and wrought iron on the outside. The social hierarchy falls as you rise in the structure, and the windows grow smaller and narrow, until finally you reach the top floor with some windows as small as a porthole. Roof top gardens and sunroofs that adorn the top of many Parisian buildings, is a modern desire.

L'immeuble de la Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, à Paris. Architecte : Jean Nouvel © Jean Nouvel / Photo © Philippe Ruault

Paris is a city of glass—ever since the modern age, Paris has strived for feats of engineering marvel, including spectacular works of glass—a “palace” of glass and steal, windows that trace the whole perimeter of the house to let in the light, a whole façade of glass—the tradition carries on into contemporary architecture. The Fondation Cartier is glass wall facing the neighborhood and the building itself is a clear glass structure with a first floor and basement gallery used to exhibit contemporary emerging and establishing artists. 

  

Through these glass walls you view the first glimpse of Couple Under an Umbrella, a hyperrealistic sculpture by artist Ron Mueck, one of nine sculptures in the solo exhibition on display at the Fondation Cartier. The striking sculptures, predominately human figures, were expertly curated in collaboration with the artist, with the use of mobile walls that would strategically block off or reveal the glass wall/garden backdrop of the first floor gallery. Closed off and open, the space juxtapose itself with the work, just as the figures are juxtaposed with each other, vulnerable, exposed, larger than life in their detail and humanity even when they are scaled to a less than average height. Descending into the lower gallery, devoid of the external world and natural light, the exhibition itself descends into a its own darker realm, where the subconscious, covert, and internal of the artist and the viewer is now on display.

(Below: Journal investigations from the Ron Mueck show.)