Wonder Women :: Art & Technology

My first impression of Andrea Stanislav’s exhibit was that it was AMAZING. I loved her concept of working entirely with reflective surfaces, which really allows the viewer to interact with and to change the works of art. It also introduces a sort of self-consciousness to the act of viewing—you are looking at yourself looking at the works of art (I kept getting distracted by the sad situation of my hair). The river installation was definitely the most conspicuous piece in the exhibit, and I thought the images in the film were quite beautiful and haunting. I was really taken aback the first time I heard the explosion; I originally thought there was no sound. But standing on one of the stepping stones and watching the moving images reflected on the floor and ceiling along with my own image was really fascinating to me, and sort of a psychedelic experience. It was especially cool to see reflected images of myself going back into infinity…it really was the River to Infinity!

I basically stayed in the exhibit the whole time—just when I was about to go look at something else Andrea showed up and it was really interesting to hear her talk about her work. I really enjoyed hearing the ideas and the processes behind it. In a lot of ways I am much more interested in the process than in the finished work of art. But after she explained the significance of some of the things the whole exhibit definitely took on new meaning, and I felt more connected with it. I was interested in the ghost images before but when I heard her explain where she had gotten them, and that these images had sparked her idea I had a much better understanding of their importance and their relationship to the rest of the exhibit. Her stories about the difficulties she had shooting the explosion in the film and constructing the horse sculptures were really appealing to me and I think made me appreciate her art more because I understood the effort behind it, and because she seemed so willing to let us see that effort.

I have tried explaining this exhibit to my friends and family, but it’s difficult to get its impact across in words. I would probably say that the artist uses mainly reflective media like mirrors in her work and that you get this sort of dazzlingly bright and shiny effect, the “glam-rock aesthetic” but also that she is treating a lot of heavy issues in her work so it’s really rewarding to get beyond the shininess and really try to see what she is getting at.

After our visit I even wrote a (first draft of a) poem about Andrea's exhibit which you can read or not (it's probably not as cool if you actually get what it's about but...):

Continue reading "MIA visit : Lisa" »

Posted by lips0037 at 08:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was a little startled by the installation at first. It has mirrors, video, and many other elements that are difficult to take in all at once. I quickly realized that I needed to take my time looking at all the different elements of the piece in order to get a better understanding of it. I liked how the artist chose to let the museum-goers to walk across the "river." This interaction increases excitement about the work. The use of sound was also unique and interesting; I rarely encounter pieces that use sound.

I saw the horses' heads behind the blocks before I went into the other room and saw the horses rotating on the pedestals. I have to admit that this element was jarring. Even though the horses weren't gory, the fact that the horses' heads had been cut off and then scattered in another room was, well, creepy. It added to the ominous mood of the entire installation.

As I walked through the rooms and looked at all the various elements, I felt as though I was trying to solve a mystery, in a way. What does this piece mean? How does it fit in with that piece over there? What's the message? I felt like I was snooping for clues and that if I looked long and hard enough it would all make sense to me.

I went upstairs to look at the contemporary art and then came back downstairs to revisit the exhibit. One of the biggest differences between the two areas was the color of the walls. I was suprisef just how big a difference painting the walls white or black can be. Usually a museum has white walls so that the art can stand out and the wall color doesn't detract from the effects of the piece. I realized that the black color of the walls in the installation was a integral part of the artwork. Imagine how different the installation would be if the walls were painted white! The exhibit would be much brighter and thus less mysterious and intriguing. Another key difference I noted was the sheer enormity of the installation as opposed to the artwork in the other areas of the museum. All the other paintings were quite small -- the River of Infinity was enormous, taking up two rooms' worth of space.

My family doesn't go to museums very often and I know their first reaction to this piece would be "I don't get it." I would describe the various elements: the mirrors, the horses, the rocks, the astrology charts, the portraits, etc. It would be difficult to explain to them exactly how all these elements all fit together because I myself don't completely understand the artist's intentions. I would say that the overall effect of the exhibit was a spooky one, and that you have to make your own interpretations about what the exhibit "means."

Posted by teich024 at 07:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I would like to say before anything that I really enjoyed and admired the work that went into Andrea Stanislav's instillation. My first impression of the exhibit was something along the lines of "OMG, this is exactly what my theatre history professor was talking about." Lately in this class we have been studying Symbolist dramas such as "Salome" by Oscar Wilde, and "The Crystal Spider" by Madam Rachilde. "The Crystal Spider" in particular goes into the anxiety that one of the young male characters feels toward mirrors. The playwright calls him "Terror-Stricken," and he relays to his mother a lengthy tale of a horrible experience he had with a mirror as a child that has plagued him now into his adult years. His anxiety comes from the way in which a mirror suddenly multiplies whatever flaw you may have and it forces you to confront yourself as the Other.

So of course, walking into Stanislav's exhibit immediately made me think of "The Crystal Spider" and the anxiety that goes with exploring images of ourselves as well as seeing the world double, tripled, and then infinitely replicated. It was very odd to peer into the mirror river and see the reflections of Stanislav's chosen film clips seem to go on and on forever in a web of entrapment. As the spectator, once I began to try and see only in the realm of reflection, I found myself easily getting trapped in the multiplicity of images, as well as my gazing upon myself.

I found the horses to be both beautiful and tragic. There was beauty in that the figures were covered in reflective crystal beads that sparkled as the light hit them. What can I say, I love anything that glitters. But then I had to come to terms with the fact that not only were these horses decapitated with crystals were exploding out of their side, but that prior to seeing their bodies I had found their heads in the next room. Take that PETA.

I don't think I could convey appropriately in words a description of this to someone. I did tell my roommate that she had to see this "really cool glittery exhibit with mirrors" before it left MIA. I don't want to tell them too much about the components of the exhibit because I feel it would cheat them from the process of discovery that we are invited to do a spectators. Art like this should take people by surprise.

Posted by remu0019 at 05:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Our attention will be focused on:

River to Infinity--The Vanishing Points

Installation by Andréa Stanislav

We will visit this installation. Each person will also take time to visit another area of the museum and then re-enter the River to Infinity--The Vanishing Points installation.

Prior to our next class please post your reflections on the blog:

Include:

- your first impression of the installation.

- your response when you re-entered the installation after leaving the installation space to visit another area of the museum.

-your description of this installation as you would convey it to your family.

Posted by Diane Willow at 10:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Upon first entering the space of “River to Infinity,” I did not notice the images being projected on the wall and thought that it was a very calm, relaxing space because of the low lighting and the “river”; it also had a sense of whimsy to it with the glittering rocks, and the fact that you could walk on them. While standing on the stones and looking down, I realized why it was called the “River to Infinity”: there were mirrors above and below that reflected over and over and over again, so that I felt like I could jump into the “river” and just keep falling like Alice in Wonderland down the tunnel. I was tremendously confused by the glittering horse heads behind the structure on the opposite side of the river, but now that I know that some people never even know they are there, I feel like I’m in on one of the artist’s secrets (as well as the other ones she shared with us about using taxidermy forms, blowing up the obelisks, etc.). While I was staring into the river, I heard the BOOM from the video for the first time and nearly fell in! Maybe I would have kept falling like Alice in Wonderland…
I left the space to look at textiles. They were familiar, orderly, and structured. The room they were in was much brighter but felt dark for some reason. It wasn’t until I returned to Stanislav’s installation that I realized that even though the lights were dimmed, the entire space seemed brighter than other rooms (like that with the textiles) because there was so much light reflected off of everything. Then we got to talk to the artist about her work, which gave it even more perspective. I would never have guessed that the piece was questioning societal values in terms of war, but I had felt a sense of conflict in the piece ever since I first heard the “bombs” going off. She talked about going out to an American military base in Utah where they tested bombs in the twentieth century and that it was like being in a “sensory deprivation tank,” which is sort of the feeling you get from the installation because of the black walls and the strangeness of your surroundings; it was almost as if I might have been imagining the things that were happening because they were generally nonsensical. I was half-tempted to tell her that my folks have a farm if she ever needed a place to blow things up!
Speaking of my parents, I think it would be difficult to explain this installation to a couple of farmers without showing them. My dad has no interest in art, but my mom would at least listen. I would explain that there are two rooms with black walls, but the space doesn’t seem dark because there are mirrors wherever you turn. It’s like a normal stream, but you can see forever. There are glittering horses and booming noises, and it’s like stepping into another world where you’re not sure what’s going on, but it’s not unpleasant, either.

Posted by hurl0063 at 04:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I really enjoyed Andrea Stanislav's installation at the MIA. My first impression was literally, "What is going on?" because people were standing on rocks with their shoes off and the room was dark. As I began soaking in all of the tings that were going on in the installation, I really began to appreciate the art.

I really liked the use of mirrors and reflection used in the second room with the headless horses. There was a beautiful contrast between the darkness of the room and the reflections from the rotating horses. I really liked the use of mirrors and reflections in general because I think it made the people looking at the art more of a part of the art. You can't look at the mirrors without seeing yourself, so your reflection and the reflection of those behind/around you become a part of the art.

When I re-entered the installation, I was able to stand on the pond and watch the entire video. (There were a lot of people in there before). After taking in everything that was going on in the installation the first time I saw it, I was able to look for the deeper meaning in the artwork the second time around. I liked that you couldn't hear the sound of the video unless you were standing on the rocks. This also really brought me INTO the piece. I felt like I was a part of the installation when I re-entered. One thing that really stood out to me was the fact that the horses connected the two separate rooms because their heads were shown in the video after the explosion. It kind of clarified why there were headless horses when you saw the video.

If I were to describe this installation to my family...I would describe it as a beautiful installation that contrasts light and dark. There is not a lot of color and it isn't your "typical" sculpture or paintings. It's very abstract and it allows the viewer to take what they want away from the art. It is interactive and you really need to become a part of the installation in order to take away the most.

Continue reading "Reflections: MIA Visit and The Spark Festival" »

Posted by matth120 at 08:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My first impression of the Andrea Stanislav installation “River to Infinity – The Vanishing Points” was that it was mysterious – being in a room with dark walls and little light, however, the reflective surfaces of the mirrored obelisks and pond created a very stunning brightness at the same time. I was initially very excited at the chance to take off my shoes and be able to walk across the stepping-stones to view the installation. The viewer rarely has an opportunity to interact with the artwork and look at it so closely. I was very surprised to find that by walking around the back of the structure that there was more – horse heads hidden – and I thought it was interesting that this really invited the viewer to explore and make discoveries on his own.
I liked the fact that you could peer down into the mirror pond and it seemed like you were actually looking down into water because the reflections made it appear to go very deep. The sounds were pretty quiet and soft at first like still water, but the booms corresponding with the explosions were unexpected and startling the first time around.
In the next room I felt the same mysterious quality – especially with the mirrors displaying faint portraits looking back at you. I really liked the connection displayed between the two rooms by having the horse bodies on pedestals missing the heads. The astrological charts and signs gave me the impression that everything was related to time and perhaps events occurring in the future.

After re-entering the installation I had a better feel of what it was trying to portray, mainly after reading the description of the installation, and it made more sense and created a different feeling since I knew what to look for at this point and what to expect as far as the explosive sounds. I was surprised to find out that there were some movie references and Internet based pictures influencing the installation and I definitely thought the artist would have some strong belief in astrology. I think it made me feel more like the installation had more of a present day connection to it after learning some of this.

If I had to describe this installation to my family (who aren’t very art-oriented people), I would tell them that they should imagine they were visiting a real landscape – complete with a pond, rocks, and natural artifacts that they really get the chance to explore on their own. I would tell them that it would be like coming to an undiscovered land that you have to investigate fully and learn as much as you can if you want to get a complete understanding of what it is.

Posted by beckx214 at 04:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I lost my information sheet from our artist visit last Tuesday, so I'm doing this entirely from memory, which really means that I am not sure what her artwork was called, or her name, for that matter. I feel really bad about this because it was so great to meet her, and I feel rather rude for having forgotten it.

Anyway, I really enjoyed our visit, and meeting her. My favorite part about the installation was that you had to totally immerse yourself into to be able to see everything. If I didn't walk across the river, I never would have known about the horses heads or known how cool it was to see my reflection in the floor (no I am not narcissistic!) I am glad she was there to help explain it a bit though. While I certainly took my own interpretation from it, it was nice to hear how she did it all: what materials she used, how long it took, and the obstacles she faced. Just from seeing the exhibit you would never know the troubles she had in turning her vision into a tangible exhibit.

I also thought I'd post what I am working on at the same time as I do this blog. (not visually, because it is a load crap right now) My goal is to do something to honor my maternal lineage, and I orginally thought I would contrast that with our culture's partiarchal way of dealing with heritage, but I decided to cut that out. What I have so far is a very crude set up of a bunch of pictures and it looks a bit more like a cheap invitation to a family reunion than it looks like art, but I am working on it.

I am also discovering that Photoshop is much harder to use than I had previously thought. I am really struggling with making it do what I want it to, but I guess that is part of the process, right?

Posted by Kari Volkmann at 01:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)