Ann Hamilton: habitus

Happy 2017!

In celebration of the new year, I ventured to Philadelphia to catch Ann Hamilton's habitus at The Fabric Workshop before it closed on January 8.

Located across the street from the Philadelphia Convention Center, The Fabric Workshop is spread over several floors of an old brick building. The section of habitus located on the first floor displayed numerous works by Ann Hamilton. Those photos will be shared later.

This day, it was the section of the exhibition that had begun as an online project entitled, cloth • a commonplace on Tumblr caught my eye. Each page contains a quote that in some way pertains to cloth. Most that I read seemed to be from fictional books, but not all. Some were only one line while others were paragraphs. 

One quote per page.

Viewers were encouraged to take those that spoke to them - whether it be 1 or 5 or 30. How often are you given permission to take away a bit of an exhibition? Lifting that first page off the pegs felt a bit like stealing, but by the 5th page it felt right. I admit to taking more than 5...haven't counted them to find the total. I did purchase the whole collection from the gift shop and plan to read one a day when the rhythm of life allows time for being in the studio everyday.

 

Hanging quietly and unobtrusively above the rows of collected text were quilts. My memory is that the docent said the quilts belong to Ann Hamilton, but by then my creative mind was whirling so I cannot be sure that my memory is correct.

While pondering a just read quote, I happened to look up and into the quilt hanging above.

There were landscapes - cityscapes,

long stretches of flat land that eased into small rises,

mountains reflected in still lakes,

waves.

I'd love to be able to ask Ann Hamilton if leaving the fold lines in had been on purpose. Had she realized what one would be treated to if one only looked up while standing before the pages of text? Does her brain work that far ahead? I believe it does.

Too awed by the simplicity of these winding spools/wheels, my ears weren't listening as the docent talked about them.

My brain was elsewhere,

pondering...

Cleveland - Arrival Day

Greetings from Cleveland! Lotta and I arrived safely yesterday afternoon and after unwinding a bit from our long drives, got together with Christine for a delightful evening. While we were at dinner, Christine mentioned an exhibition of Ann Hamiliton's newest work at Transformer Station so off we went.

Acclaimed conceptual artist Ann Hamilton presents a new installation of work from an ongoing project titled O N E E V E R Y O N E. Separating her subjects from the camera with a specialized thermoplastic film, she creates anonymous portraits that are in focus only  where a hand or arm of cheek  actually touches the membrane's surface, while the rest of the figure falls into an atmospheric shallow focus. Printed on oversized Gampi tissue, these figures while presenting themselves to be photographed  seem to occupy a more private and interior space.  A free publication produced by the artist accompanies the installation.*

 Lotta

Ethereal, mysterious, other worldy, exquisite...the adjectives that apply are endless. All the while I viewed O N E E V E R Y O N E, visions of Hamilton's An Errant Line exhibition last year at the Spencer Museum of Art in Lawrence, KS kept running through my mind. I loved seeing the progression of process used - from scanning figures to photographing people. Imagine it...

Time to get ready for the day. I get to meet Velma in a few hours!


*from Transformer Station's web site

4th Annual Artist Retreat - An Errant Line - Ann Hamilton

If you should happen to find yourself in the Kansas City area any time before August 11 this year, may I suggest a side trip to Lawrence to visit the Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas to view An Errant Line: Ann Hamilton/Cynthia Schira.

Yesterday Pam took me for my first visit. I've been looking forward to this show since seeing/experiencing Ann Hamilton's The Event of a Thread back in January at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

The Spencer Museum commissioned Hamilton and Schira to peruse the museum's collection for inspiration in creating the exhibition.  Schira taught fiber arts at KU and Hamilton was her student once upon a time.

After culling through the myriad of art, creche figures with period clothing were discovered

and Hamilton was intrigued.  She placed one on a scanner to see what would happen.  

The area that touched the scanner bed best, printed most clearly. And that was magical. These images were then enlarged and enlarged again...and finally installed at the Spencer. Enjoy.

 

 (that's Pam)

Cynthia Schira's portion of the exhibition tomorrow. You can glimpse it through the gates. Schira took sections - a button hole, a seam, etc. - from Hamilton's work and enlarged it into abstraction, wove it...and then some. And is truly magnificent.

Ann Hamilton's The Event of a Thread, part 2

Enjoy.

Ann Hamilton's The Event of a Thread

I ventured into New York yesterday for Ann Hamilton's The Event of a Thread 

at the Park Avenue Armory. 

One step inside the doors had me stepping aside to let others go by while I just stood 

and took in the massive curtain of movement installed in the middle of the hall.

After a few minutes, I wandered through the people and swings to take a seat at one end.

And then a swing became open.

There were lots of families with little ones, so I soon relented my swing and walked around.

While some stood, some swang (swung? swinged?), others lay on the floor beneath the curtain. 

Yes. I did as well. Those photos will come too.

There were two readers at one end of the hall. The reading material was on roll beneath their table

 and as they slowly read, the paper piled up on the floor in front of them.

 I finally noticed that the upstairs section of the Armory was open. 

Up I went to get a better look at 

 the extensive and elaborate pulley system.

 The tips of the curtain were mesmerizing. 

Eventually, I went back downstairs and lay down again. This time on an end to watch and be. 

I spoke with Pam and hadn't the words to describe the sensation...still don't, not quite.

2+ hours, 400+ photos and 17 videos later, 

I tore myself away and walked back to Grand Central Station...looking at the world a bit differently.
Noticing movement everywhere. Noticing beauty. Noticing art. Noticing life.