Tuesday, February 23, 2016

WONDER - Janet Echelman

WONDER
 
Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015, detail

1. a cause of astonishment or admiration

Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015, detail

2. the quality of exciting amazed admiration

Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015, light and shadows detail

3. rapt attention or astonishment at something awesomely mysterious or new to one's experience

Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015, light and shadows detail
 
The powers that be at the Smithsonian Institute's Renwick Gallery must have had the Merriam-Webster Dictionary's definition in mind when they set about selecting artists to participate in the Renwick's grand re-opening in November 2015 - as did the artists when they set about creating their wonder inducing works.

Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015,  light and shadows detail

I traveled to Washington, DC in early December to spend a few days with Lotta Helleberg (that's Lotta seated in the very first photo) as well as to peruse WONDER.

Janet Echelman, 1.8, 2015, detail

1.8, 2015 
knotted and braided fiber with programmable lighting
and wind movement above printed textile flooring 
Courtesy of Janet Echelman, Inc. 

Echelman's woven sculpture corresponds to a map of the energy released across the Pacific Ocean during the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, one of the most devastating natural disasters in recorded history. The event was so powerful it shifted the earth on its axis and shortened the day March 11, 2011, by 1.8 millionths of a second, lending this work its title. Waves taller than the 100-foot length of this gallery ravaged the east coast of Japan, reminding us that what is wondrous can equally be dangerous. (accompanying statement in the Renwick)

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1.8 is the second Janet Echelman sculpture that I have had the good fortune to experience. Last June, I went to Boston for As If It Were Already Here, her installation over the Rose Kennedy Greenway. To see my post about it, click here. Both works are equally breathtaking, inspiring and whole host of other adjectives.

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Stay tuned for more posts about WONDER. I'm returning this weekend to hear Maya Lin speak at the Renwick. 

11 comments:

  1. I would love to experience this WONDER in person.

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    1. This truly is an exhibition that needs to be experienced first hand. It's possible as a weekend trip - just hop the train and enjoy the ride to DC. Enjoy!

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  2. OH WOW. These photographs are spectacular. Lucky you to see this! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Thank you Marianne! More photos to come. Think I'll wait until after the second viewing this weekend though. Enjoy!

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  3. So inspiring Jennifer!! Thx for sharing - these wow!!

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  4. Beautiful! I just did an exhibition inspired by the idea of wonder....it is missing in so much of our lives! Thanks for sharing these works of wonder! -- Patti

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  5. That is WONDERful and WONDERus. Thanks for sharing!

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  6. Jennifer, this post and the two that follow about work that you have seen are really important for those of us who don't get to travel to these galleries. thank you very very much for posting.
    x

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    1. Judy, you are most welcome. I am happy to be able to share the experience with you. Enjoy!

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  7. What an experience to witness all of those undulating layers of color firsthand...and your photos of the installation are equally "wonder"ful! There must be infinite permutations depending on where you're standing & how the light is falling/the air is moving. From the first photo I get the feeling of a church or chapel.
    You've definitely inspired me to discover more about "Wonder"...

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    1. "From the first photo I get the feeling of a church or chapel."

      No, not a church or chapel although I will admit that the feelings I experienced looking at Janet Echelman's installation are much the same as those experienced gaping at the magnificence of National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Blasphemy? No. It's all that feeling of being in the presence of something far, far greater than oneself; that feeling of wonder, of awe on such a grand level that words cannot adequately describe it.

      So...yes and no. Echelman's work hangs in the grand salon at the Renwick. Pre-renovation, it was a long ceiling-ed, dark and dreary room, where old paintings whose paint couldn't take sunlight were displayed (or that's how it felt). This room is probably the biggest surprise of the renovation and now worthy of such work. Or, at least, that's what I think...

      Enjoy!

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