This week has been busy! All of the art students worked through the weekend and throughout the week to prepare for Monday and Friday's critique in Douglas Ross's class. Each student was supposed to explore the notion of "together". We were free to explore different media, methods/approaches, and choose how the critique should be conducted. As artists in this class we are learning to consider each and every decision we make in the art making process: which materials we use, how we use them, if we use them, where we install the work, if we should install our work, how we should involve the viewer, to what extent we should involve the viewer...the list goes on. There's a lot to consider when making a piece of art that will be different and invigorating. The product relies on process and as such, so does the viewers' reception of the artwork. I think that having to consider so many things when making my work has really changed my way of thinking about my work and my process. Hopefully it will improve my work.
On Saturday Emma, a fellow art student visited from Ithaca! So Rachel and I showed her around the Chelsea neighborhood to see some galleries. We really enjoyed the performance at Gladstone Gallery. Sun Jun, a student from Juilliard played the piano from
inside the piano in a piece by Allora and Calzadilla. As he played Beethoven's "Ode to Joy", he moved from room to room in the empty gallery, making the entire audience follow him around. At first confused, surprised and taken aback by a moving piano/performer, the audience was able to get closer to the piano and player. It was pretty amazing to see such a strange performance. And we ran into Michael Ashkin! A sculpture professor from Cornell campus. So we couldn't resist taking a picture with Sun Jun and our professor.
