image from: http://www.drawingcenter.org/images/artwork/sigimg/HESSE.jpgfor more images of Eva Hesse's work
Thoughts on 'Elizabeth Sussman on Eva Hesse' and my work
MOCA Audio- Elisabeth Sussman on Eva Hesse Drawing -
http://www.podcast.net/play/36732/1 (from Museum of Contemporary Art, LA)
Sussman’s referred to Hesse being viewed as the as the first post modernist, as she 'took herself as ego in control out of it- let the other thing become the author’. Sussman identified the post modernist characteristic as – ‘the thing itself or task at hand or the material that’s going to generate everything, everything- every transformation comes from and suggests something to her’. The material in one example is 'thread' that she found when she worked in Germany in an old factory. The thread made its way into her work.
Some of Hesse’s sculptures had not been exhibited before her death and had not been see outside the studio therefore there was an uncertainity about the orientation of the work. Sussman says that Hesse would have been OK with the installation of the work as Hesse had said that ‘she thinks things ought to change according to who installs and where it is installed, each installation being a transformation’.
I feel that the willingness of Hesse to allow the ‘curator’ install her work, and in that, change the way it is viewed is another example of taking herself as ego out of the work. Sussman says the ‘Taking herself out of the work, especially at the end of her life when she was very ill, this could parallel with ‘taking herself out’.... of her sickness. Maybe a Buddhist type thing...’.
http://www.podcast.net/play/36732/1 (from Museum of Contemporary Art, LA)
Sussman’s referred to Hesse being viewed as the as the first post modernist, as she 'took herself as ego in control out of it- let the other thing become the author’. Sussman identified the post modernist characteristic as – ‘the thing itself or task at hand or the material that’s going to generate everything, everything- every transformation comes from and suggests something to her’. The material in one example is 'thread' that she found when she worked in Germany in an old factory. The thread made its way into her work.
Some of Hesse’s sculptures had not been exhibited before her death and had not been see outside the studio therefore there was an uncertainity about the orientation of the work. Sussman says that Hesse would have been OK with the installation of the work as Hesse had said that ‘she thinks things ought to change according to who installs and where it is installed, each installation being a transformation’.
I feel that the willingness of Hesse to allow the ‘curator’ install her work, and in that, change the way it is viewed is another example of taking herself as ego out of the work. Sussman says the ‘Taking herself out of the work, especially at the end of her life when she was very ill, this could parallel with ‘taking herself out’.... of her sickness. Maybe a Buddhist type thing...’.
I can see parallels in my work for example the gauze installations. The gauze is fragile in comparison to more traditional sculptural materials such as wood, bronze and stone. The gauze installations are controlled by the wind, rain and sun which changes them from their original white tightly stretched form. I also sometimes work in collaboration with other people . In ‘Working at Peartree’ I gave control to the individuals I was working with. Those people who had cut the gauze. The cutting of the gauze is different with every group and with every place. The ‘Peartree’ cutting was with the largest group of people to date, the gauze formed lines in the landscape, turned around trees, stretched against the breeze. The people working with me, the collaborators, defined the work. While we were cutting I tossed the idea around in my head that I should give the 4 rolls of gauze to those participating to install a work. This was giving control to others. What would they do, it wouldn’t be my work, how would it look!!! I set guidelines: a comment on the place. The works become more about that process of sharing both the physical work and the ideas rather than the finished works.
Sussman also discusses Hesse working with the children of a friend while in Germany. Drawing the alphabet leading to using little boxes and thinking in a grid. These experiments were recorded in note books.
Sussman says of Hesse: ‘Teaching the alphabet, drawing with them the sort of dumb kind of things that you do with children, like playing games...... drawing, alphabet experiments she is doing appeal to a kind of dumbness that she likes that she transfers into gridded works.’
I think that Hesse has become involved with a complex unpacking of the process of learning and communicating. Hesse is experiencing the process. A letter of the alphabet, a symbol simple, essential and emblematic. An embodiment of language and communication. I see Hesse as possibly going back to things learnt as a child, that are the forgotten building blocks. I have found wonder and surprise, in working with children as to how letters go together to make language and communicate. Hesse’s development into gridded works seems is as if all the extraneous meaning has been removed and the underlying essence remains. Getting into the physical making of a letter, she found ‘drawing to learn’.
Sussman also discusses Hesse working with the children of a friend while in Germany. Drawing the alphabet leading to using little boxes and thinking in a grid. These experiments were recorded in note books.
Sussman says of Hesse: ‘Teaching the alphabet, drawing with them the sort of dumb kind of things that you do with children, like playing games...... drawing, alphabet experiments she is doing appeal to a kind of dumbness that she likes that she transfers into gridded works.’
I think that Hesse has become involved with a complex unpacking of the process of learning and communicating. Hesse is experiencing the process. A letter of the alphabet, a symbol simple, essential and emblematic. An embodiment of language and communication. I see Hesse as possibly going back to things learnt as a child, that are the forgotten building blocks. I have found wonder and surprise, in working with children as to how letters go together to make language and communicate. Hesse’s development into gridded works seems is as if all the extraneous meaning has been removed and the underlying essence remains. Getting into the physical making of a letter, she found ‘drawing to learn’.
'drawing to learn' is a link to Margaret Brook's web site where she documents a Visual Ethnographic study that examines young children's use of drawing in a grade one classroom.
I particularly like Hesse’s grid work, also wonder if the exhibition smelt of resin? I can also see that the light captures by the resin on the string would have been wonderful
Link to Lisa’s site
http://www.antarcticanimation.com/content/animation/iceforminganim02info.php
Working with Lisa and Yoris we responded to a diary entry by
Jack Ward
I particularly like Hesse’s grid work, also wonder if the exhibition smelt of resin? I can also see that the light captures by the resin on the string would have been wonderful
Link to Lisa’s site
http://www.antarcticanimation.com/content/animation/iceforminganim02info.php
Working with Lisa and Yoris we responded to a diary entry by
Jack Ward
Mawson diary
2 April 1955
The cold transparent blue
of the ice plateau
has become a softer
blue opalescence.
Clefts and hollows
in the ice have lost the glowing
almost radiant
blueness and
become dark shadows.
Lisa read we moved
Yoris read I moved
Lisa documented
In response
I moved through the words, imagining the description, being part of the words, being part of the vista, looking at the landscape, the words, the vista, flowing in and out.
I began to remember the movement and thus the words.
My body remembered the movement and began to pre-empted the words, began to repeat without thinking.
Then my response in words
cold stiller
The cold transparent blue
of the ice plateau
has become a softer
blue opalescence.
Clefts and hollows
in the ice have lost the glowing
almost radiant
blueness and
become dark shadows.
Lisa read we moved
Yoris read I moved
Lisa documented
In response
I moved through the words, imagining the description, being part of the words, being part of the vista, looking at the landscape, the words, the vista, flowing in and out.
I began to remember the movement and thus the words.
My body remembered the movement and began to pre-empted the words, began to repeat without thinking.
Then my response in words
cold stiller
angular inside
yet hollows rounded as voice
draw with body
see far the plateau
sun changes
cold transparent blue
soft opalescence
lost radiance
colder stiller
Dickson
The body has memory as well as the brain.
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