Falling for Gravity: Invisible Forces in Contemporary Art PDF
Preview Falling for Gravity: Invisible Forces in Contemporary Art
FaLLIng FOr graVItY F a FaLLIng FOr graVItY L This book begins with the observation that contemporary artists L have embraced and employed gravity as an immaterial ready- I n mFadae. LNecLessaIrinly gfocus ingF Oon rmate rigal rpractaices V–I tchiYefly sculpture, installation, performance, and film – this discussion g takes account of how and why artists have used gravity and F explores the similarities between their work and the popular O cultural forms of circus, vaudeville, burlesque, and film. r Works by Rodney Graham, Stan Douglas, and Robert Smithson g are mediated through ideas of Gnostic doubt, atomism, and new materialism. In other examples – by John Wood and Paul r FaLLIng FOr graVItY Harrison, Gordon Matta-Clark, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, a Trisha Brown, and Bas Jan Ader – mass and momentum, V falling objects, and falling bodies are examined in relation to I t FarchaitectLure,L Iscunlpturge, anFd Odancre. Ing perrformaancVes, IptrojeYcts, Y and events by Bruce Nauman, Santiago Sierra, and Catherine Yass, gravity is resisted in Sisyphean ordeals and death-defying stunts. This account of contemporary art and performance, read through the invisible membrane of gravity, exposes new and distinctive approaches to agency reduction, authorial doubt, and FaLLIng FOr graVItY rFedeamptivLe faLilureI. ng FOr graVItY FaLLIng FOr graVItY C a t Catherine James is Lecturer in Academic Practice at University h FaLLIng FOr graVItY e of the Arts London. Since completing her doctoral studies at the r i London Consortium in 2004, she served as Lecturer in Modern n e FaLLIng FOr graVItY & Contemporary Art at Christie’s Education for many years and has contributed to a variety of conferences and journals related J a to her research on gravity in art and performance. m FaLLIng FOr graVItY e Invisible Forces in Contemporary Art s FaLLIng FOr graVItY ISBN 978-3-0343-1726-9 Catherine James g FaLLIng FOr graVItY n a FaLLIng FOr graVItY L www.peterlang.com er t e P FaLLIng FOr graVItY F a FaLLIng FOr graVItY L This book begins with the observation that contemporary artists L have embraced and employed gravity as an immaterial ready- I n mFaade. LNeLcesIsanrilyg foc usFingO on rma tegrial rpraacticeVs I– tchiYefly sculpture, installation, performance, and film – this discus- g sion takes account of how and why artists have used gravity and F explores the similarities between their work and the popular O cultural forms of circus, vaudeville, burlesque, and film. r Works by Rodney Graham, Stan Douglas, and Robert Smithson g are mediated through ideas of Gnostic doubt, atomism, and r new materialism. In other examples – by John Wood and Paul FaLLIng FOr graVItY Harrison, Gordon Matta-Clark, Peter Fischli and David Weiss, a Trisha Brown, and Bas Jan Ader – mass and momentum, V falling objects, and falling bodies are examined in relation to I t FarcahiteLcturLe, Iscnulptugre, anFd Odancre. I n gperfrormaancVes, IprtojeYcts, Y and events by Bruce Nauman, Santiago Sierra, and Catherine Yass, gravity is resisted in Sisyphean ordeals and death-defying stunts. This account of contemporary art and performance, read through the invisible membrane of gravity, exposes new and distinctive approaches to agency reduction, authorial doubt, and redemptive failure. FaLLIng FOr graVItY FaLLIng FOr graVItY FaLLIng FOr graVItY C a t Catherine James is Lecturer in Academic Practice at University h FaLLIng FOr graVItY e of the Arts London. Since completing her doctoral studies at the r i London Consortium in 2004, she served as Lecturer in Modern n e FaLLIng FOr graVItY & Contemporary Art at Christie’s Education for many years and has contributed to a variety of conferences and journals related to her Ja research on gravity in art and performance. m FaLLIng FOr graVItY e Invisible Forces in Contemporary Art s FaLLIng FOr graVItY Catherine James g FaLLIng FOr graVItY n a FaLLIng FOr graVItY L www.peterlang.com er t e P FALLING FOR GRAVITY FALLING FOR GRAVITY Invisible Forces in Contemporary Art Catherine James PETER LANG Oxford • Bern • Berlin • Bruxelles • Frankfurt am Main • New York • Wien Bibliographic information published by Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche National- bibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available on the Internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: James, Catherine, 1962- author. Title: Falling for gravity : invisible forces in contemporary art / Catherine James. Description: Oxford ; New York : Peter Lang, 2018. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2017028844 | ISBN 9783034317269 (alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: Gravity in art. | Art, Modern--21st century--Themes, motives. Classification: LCC N8217.G747 J36 2017 | DDC 709.05--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017028844 Cover image: Stan Douglas, Intrigue, 1948, 2010. Digital fibre print mounted on Dibond aluminium. 45.7 × 45.7 cm (18 × 18 in.). Courtesy of the artist, David Zwirner, New York/ London and Victoria Miro, London. © Stan Douglas. Cover design by Peter Lang Ltd. isbn 978-3-0343-1726-9 (print) • isbn 978-1-78707-820-8 (ePDF) isbn 978-1-78707-821-5 (ePub) • isbn 978-1-78707-822-2 (mobi) © Peter Lang AG, International Academic Publishers, Bern 2018 Wabernstrasse 40, CH-3007 Bern, Switzerland [email protected], www.peterlang.com, www.peterlang.net All rights reserved. All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in electronic retrieval systems. This publication has been peer reviewed. Printed in Germany For Susan and Graham Contents List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgements xiii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 On Shaky Ground 13 Chapter 2 The Cosmic Cage 47 Chapter 3 Heavy Stuff 83 Chapter 4 Vertigo 119 Chapter 5 Critical Mass 157 Afterword 185 Bibliography 195 Index 203
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