2. What is the theme of the exhibition?
The theme of this exhibition is comprised of both sound and
video. The artist Kelly Richardson uses
projectors to show looping video on screen panels. The video is displayed on screens. Some are shown on single screen panels and
some are on three screen panel displays.
Each work is a video accompanied by sound but each one has a different
theme. I choose the three works which
were the largest. The themes were
planets, forests, and swamps.
Step 2: The Gallery
Questions about the physical
space:
1. What type of lighting is used?
The lighting in the rooms that the video was displayed was mainly
provided by the video screens themselves.
There was additional accent lighting provided by pot lights mounted to
the ceilings. The general lighting in
all the works with in the exhibit was minimal creating a mostly dark
atmosphere.
2. What colors are used on the walls?
The walls in the exhibits were white and dark. The large room with the large displays had
white walls while the smaller rooms had darker walls. The lighting was so dim in the smaller rooms
I could not tell exactly what color the walls were only that they were dark in
nature.
3. What materials are used in the interior architecture of the space?
The walls were sheet rock.
The entrance and foyer outside the exhibit was made of marble and had
Roman/Greek architectural styling. The rooms in the
exhibit were basically box shaped and had very little detail on the walls. The rooms were connected so you could access the
three main displays all from one area.
4. How is the movement of the viewer through the gallery space?
When you enter the exhibit it takes a moment to absorb exactly
what is going on. It takes a moment for
your senses to acclimate to the environment created by the artist. Once you absorb the first piece you can see a
glimpse of other works through the door ways.
It draws you in. Once you enter another
room with a video display you must wait again and absorb the new
environment. The movement through the
exhibit is slow because there is so much to look at and listen to.
Step 3: The Artwork
Questions
about the artwork:
1. How
are the artworks organized?
Each
artwork has a separate room in which it is displayed. Some of the smaller videos are shown on
Plasma TV’s. In these rooms two works
are displayed. They have acoustic
directing devices so when you stand in front of the work you only hear the
sound track that is associated with the work.
The exhibit is comprises of eight rooms broken up into three areas.
2. How are the artworks similar?
The
artworks all are similar in the fact they are all video loops accompanied by
sound. They all are displayed in dark
rooms as well.
3. How are the artworks different?
Each
work has a different theme. This ranges
from planets, to forests, to animals, to fire, to swamps, and the audio is
different as well. Some works are
displayed on screens while others are displayed on plasma TV’s.
4. How are the artworks framed?
These
videos are not framed but displayed on screens.
The screens appeared to be similar to a movie screen at a theater. The TV’s used were Pioneer brand and could be
purchased at a store. The projectors
used are shown in the image below:
5. How are the artworks identified and labeled?
Each work has a placard mounted to the wall. An accent light is pointed on it so the
viewer can read it. The information
cards were mounted about 4 feet off the ground and were typed in bold
print. They were easy to read.
6. What is the proximity of the artwork to each other?
The
smaller works were placed one or two to a room.
The larger works were placed in a separate room each. All the works were with in a 100 feet of each
other. The eight works were divided into
three areas. One area had four rooms
while the other two areas had two rooms each.
Step 4: Art Criticism Exercise
Art Criticism:
Describing, Analyzing, and Interpreting Artwork
Video Display #1, Mariner 9
Information Display
#1
Ø
Description – Describe what you see. (subject matter)?
This
display is a video of a foreign planet landscape. The planet is depicted as Mars. There is debris from old space missions and
some active rovers examining the soil.
Ø
Formal analysis – (form) What principles and
elements were used and how are they used?
The
elements of movement and variety is are here.
The work is 40 or so feet long and there are many different items in the
video. The viewers eye crosses the video
screen and from one item to the next.
Ø
Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this
work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or
allegories? (iconography)
This
work reminds me of futuristic movies.
The work is intended to portray the future in 200 years. I think the
work reminds me of space exploration and the universe.
Ø
Interpretation - (content) What do you think the artist was trying to
say?
I
think the artist is trying to give us a glimpse of the future. The artist is showing rovers and not human
presence which insinuates that we have not set foot on Mars even in 200 years.
Video Display #2, The Erudition
Information Display #2
Ø
Description – Describe what you see. (subject matter)?
This
video is a forest scene. There are pine
trees that are very bright. The pine
trees appear and disappear at random.
Ø
Formal analysis – (form) What principles and
elements were used and how are they used?
The
element of emphasis is used here. The
pine trees are the focal point of the video.
They are very bright and draw the viewers eye to them. The trees come and go which also brings
attention to them.
Ø
Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this
work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or
allegories? (iconography)
This
work reminds me of nothing more than what it is. A forest scene with trees. The action of the trees however doeas have meaning.
Ø
Interpretation - (content) What do you think the artist was trying to
say?
I
think it is possible the artist is representing the destruction of our forest
for wood. The trees are the focal point
of the work and they disappear at random.
This could represent the loss of trees through human consumption.
Video Display #3, Leviathan
Information Display
#3
Ø
Description – Describe what you see. (subject matter)?
This
video display is a swamp scene. There
are trees and water. There are also
yellow highlights that reflect off the water.
Ø
Formal analysis – (form) What principles and
elements were used and how are they used?
The
principal of unity is used here. The
water, trees, and moss is found throughout the piece. These items tie the video scene
together.
Ø
Bracketing - Is there anything in or about this
work that reminds you of anything else? Do you see any symbols, metaphors, or
allegories? (iconography)
This
video is simply scene of a swamp that the artist visited.
Ø
Interpretation - (content) What do you think the artist was trying to
say?
I
think the artist is showing the swamp land as it stands untouched. The yellow highlights could be the sun or
pollution of some sort. I think the
artist was trying to show the viewer the fragile nature of the swamp.
v Answer this question: What did you think of
visiting the Gallery and purposefully looking at the exhibition from a different
perspective - the physical space, the architecture, theme, etc.?
I
thought the Albright Knox Art Gallery was well laid out but the map did not
show where any of the specific exhibits were.
I had to do a bit of searching around to find things. I enjoyed the visit because I got some time
alone with my wife. I also got to see
first hand some of the art that our book showed. It was interesting that there were no
barriers between the viewer and the art at the gallery. This made the experience more intimate. By analyzing the Kelly Richardson exhibit
through this project I saw things I would have normally over looked. The lighting, technology, space, movement,
and sounds all were seen individually and then as a whole. This gave me a more in depth perspective on
the art and allowed me to fully enjoy it.
I really liked this exhibit and it was easy to become a part of the
artwork while viewing it.
