Time and Material

I was particularly motivated after my visit to MOMA, in large part by the rigorous production effort that was on display. The initial space (if you entered from the bridge) was something like walking through a laboratory, where ideas were manifest in material. On the other hand, there was certainly a line being blurred between the material and the virtual, or undefined… experiential, temporal… Perhaps this is weak space (as an extension, or in opposition to, weak form), but there were moments that it was both. For example, the strong form of the spikey steel ball (sorry, I don’t know the name of the piece) which was completely eroded by the ethereal, floating space inside. In addition, a certain mental slippage that takes place in the mirrored infinite black hole; it balances between virtual and real worlds, as in “I know I am looking at a box with 4 mirrors, but isn’t it great not to think of it that way?”

The time component was of course exciting and thought provoking for the studio. Mediums like ice, water or vapor are ideal as material for temporal interventions. The car was really great, not only with the suggested reference to global warming (ugh, make it stop), but the idea of the impermanence of material in general, especially things like cars.

I also listened to as much as I could on the process of creating the ice car, and I believe I heard something about ‘making’ as opposed to working in a virtual environment. This is what was so fantastic about the whole thing, they were making. I believe that moving from the digital environment to the physical one (don’t get too technical on me here on realities, I am talking something I can touch or hold in my hand, most of the stuff here was pretty tangible at it’s core) is important and I hope we will get there soon.

And sorry I was late...