Flotsam and jetsam
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This year’s class of new first-years may be perplexed while roaming the campus by a collection of strange items surrounding and filling an above ground pool in the Rose Art Museum’s sculpture garden, located to the left of the building’s main en- trance. Rhode Island School of De- sign Class of 2004 Ryan Trecartin and Lizzie Fitch’s The Aboutthing (in the air) combines household ob- jects and rubberized body parts with the outdoor elements to evoke “the flotsam and jetsam that you find in the rivers of the Pacific Northwest,” says current Rose director Roy Dawes. The work is inspired by a re- gion of the North Pacific called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area where the currents of the North Pacific Gyre have trapped stray plastic and other garbage on and near the surface of the ocean. According to Dawes, “this was a piece that [former Rose director Michael Rush] was approached to present here. Mr. Trecartin is a very well-known video artist, but this is an installation he had done in a gallery in New York.” “I thought it was a remarkably in- ventive piece. I loved the layering of skins and chunks of flesh mixed with the trash, as well as the theater of it all,” said Prof. Peter Kalb (FA), assistant professor of contemporary art. While Rush declined to speak about the Rose Art Museum, he said about the installation, “Like many works of art, especially contempo- rary art, it has many layers of mean- ings, the two most evident being somewhat contradictory (which is also in keeping with much of con- temporary art): ‘impermanence’ (as the piece is meant to disintegrate) and the impossibility of ‘imperma- nence’ in the face of environmental disasters such as non-dissoluble garbage on our land and in our wa- ters.” Trecartin and Fitch have re- quested that the piece be left up in- definitely; that is, until the work disintegrates. Brandeis officials have other plans. “My feeling is … once we get to a point where the water is going to freeze I think we may have to let the sculpture go at that point. I think the pool will start coming apart. As soon as I see anything like that tak- ing place, that’s when it’ll go,” said Dawes. The Rose’s Web site lists the exhibition’s end date as Sept. 25. Said Kalb, “I am disappointed that the work is being prematurely re- moved—it was meant to engage a va- riety of entropic forces and being up only in the summer really limited the effect, meaning and audience of the work. Campus politics certainly count as a form of entropy that acts on art. … New England with its ridiculous weather was a great place to have a work that deals with the power of the environment; it is a shame to see the impact of the piece so reduced.” As visitors round the corner of the Rose’s Lois Foster Wing, they are greeted with a rubbery mask im- paled through its temples, mounted on the crossbar of an archway lead- ing into the sculpture garden. To the left is a potted palm, and to the right, a wooden viewing platform holding a modern-looking black vinyl couch upon which various ceramic tiles are plastered, all covered in a yel- lowish, dripping glaze. The couch faces an above-ground pool filled with murky water and a variety of plastic bags and storage containers, some of which are molded together to form a little mountain of Rubber- maid containers drizzled with pur- plish epoxy body parts and amorphous blobs. “The piece invites multiple thoughts and, hopefully, in- augurates serious discussion,” says Rush. It embodies “this Buddhist idea of the duality of impermanence,” says Roy Dawes. “It too will become garbage of a sort.” THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 21 Young artists tackle environmental issues By ANDREA FINEMAN JUSTICE EDITOR WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE: Rubberized body parts pep- per Trecartin and Fitch’s in- stallation. MICROCOSM OF POLLUTION: Trecartin and Fitch’s pool of plastic and molded body parts represents a larger incidence of water pollution in the North Pacific, where ocean currents have trapped acres of garbage on and just below the surface. TILE COUCH: A black vinyl couch covered with ceramic floor tiles looks out over the pool of plastic. A LONG, STRANGE TRIP: Trecartin and Fitch’s installation, frontal view. A wooden sculpture in the Rose’s permanent collection stands in the background. PLASTIC PROTRUSION: A tower of Rubbermaid storage containers and puddles of epoxy rises from the pool. MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice I loved the layering of skins and chunks of flesh mixed with the trash, as well as the theater of it all. “ Flotsam and jetsam PROF. PETER KALB (FA) Flotsam and jetsam
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Young artists tackle environmental issues.
Transcript of Flotsam and jetsam
This year’s class of new first-yearsmay be perplexed while roaming thecampus by a collection of strangeitems surrounding and filling anabove ground pool in the Rose ArtMuseum’s sculpture garden, locatedto the left of the building’s main en-trance. Rhode Island School of De-sign Class of 2004 Ryan Trecartinand Lizzie Fitch’s The Aboutthing(in the air) combines household ob-jects and rubberized body parts withthe outdoor elements to evoke “theflotsam and jetsam that you find inthe rivers of the Pacific Northwest,”says current Rose director RoyDawes. The work is inspired by a re-gion of the North Pacific called theGreat Pacific Garbage Patch, anarea where the currents of the NorthPacific Gyre have trapped strayplastic and other garbage on andnear the surface of the ocean.
According to Dawes, “this was apiece that [former Rose directorMichael Rush] was approached topresent here. Mr. Trecartin is a verywell-known video artist, but this isan installation he had done in agallery in New York.”
“I thought it was a remarkably in-ventive piece. I loved the layering ofskins and chunks of flesh mixedwith the trash, as well as the theaterof it all,” said Prof. Peter Kalb (FA),assistant professor of contemporaryart. While Rush declined to speakabout the Rose Art Museum, he saidabout the installation, “Like manyworks of art, especially contempo-rary art, it has many layers of mean-ings, the two most evident beingsomewhat contradictory (which isalso in keeping with much of con-temporary art): ‘impermanence’ (asthe piece is meant to disintegrate)and the impossibility of ‘imperma-nence’ in the face of environmentaldisasters such as non-dissolublegarbage on our land and in our wa-ters.”
Trecartin and Fitch have re-quested that the piece be left up in-definitely; that is, until the workdisintegrates. Brandeis officialshave other plans.
“My feeling is … once we get to apoint where the water is going tofreeze I think we may have to let thesculpture go at that point. I thinkthe pool will start coming apart. As
soon as I see anything like that tak-ing place, that’s when it’ll go,” saidDawes. The Rose’s Web site lists theexhibition’s end date as Sept. 25.
Said Kalb, “I am disappointed thatthe work is being prematurely re-moved—it was meant to engage a va-riety of entropic forces and being uponly in the summer really limitedthe effect, meaning and audience ofthe work. Campus politics certainlycount as a form of entropy that actson art. … New England with itsridiculous weather was a great placeto have a work that deals with thepower of the environment; it is ashame to see the impact of the pieceso reduced.”
As visitors round the corner of theRose’s Lois Foster Wing, they aregreeted with a rubbery mask im-paled through its temples, mountedon the crossbar of an archway lead-ing into the sculpture garden. To theleft is a potted palm, and to the right,a wooden viewing platform holding
a modern-looking black vinyl couchupon which various ceramic tilesare plastered, all covered in a yel-lowish, dripping glaze. The couchfaces an above-ground pool filledwith murky water and a variety ofplastic bags and storage containers,some of which are molded togetherto form a little mountain of Rubber-maid containers drizzled with pur-plish epoxy body parts andamorphous blobs. “The piece invitesmultiple thoughts and, hopefully, in-augurates serious discussion,” saysRush.
It embodies “this Buddhist idea ofthe duality of impermanence,” saysRoy Dawes. “It too will becomegarbage of a sort.”
THE JUSTICE ● TUESDAY, AUGUST 25, 2009 21
Young artists tackleenvironmental issues
By ANDREA FINEMANJUSTICE EDITOR
WELCOME TOTHE JUNGLE:
Rubberizedbody parts pep-
per Trecartinand Fitch’s in-
stallation.
MICROCOSM OF POLLUTION: Trecartin and Fitch’s pool of plastic and molded body parts represents a larger incidence ofwater pollution in the North Pacific, where ocean currents have trapped acres of garbage on and just below the surface.
TILE COUCH: A black vinyl couch covered with ceramic floortiles looks out over the pool of plastic.
A LONG, STRANGE TRIP: Trecartin and Fitch’s installation,frontal view. A wooden sculpture in the Rose’s permanentcollection stands in the background.
PLASTIC PROTRUSION: A tower of Rubbermaid storagecontainers and puddles of epoxy rises from the pool.
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice MAX BREITSTEIN MATZA/the Justice
I loved the layering ofskins and chunks offlesh mixed with thetrash, as well as thetheater of it all.
“
Flotsam andjetsam
PROF. PETER KALB (FA)
Flotsam andjetsam
