Puzzling Art in Sonoma Valley Museum
Exhibition of Mathematics-Based Sculptures Conceals as It Reveals
Jun 29, 2009
The most puzzling thing about Intersection: Puzzles as Art, a current exhibition at the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, is why no there is so little information about the works on display. This small exhibition is described as the synthesis of "the two cornerstones of human experience: mathematics and aesthetics." The exhibited works, mostly sculpture, are in a variety of media: metal, wood and plastic with a few interactive displays.
In a written summary of the exhibition, curators Nancy Mintz and George Miller said they chose examples they felt displayed "delight in form, the subtlety of illusion grounded in the solidity of sculpture and a sense of playfulness associated with puzzles." However the exhibit misses an opportunity to truly delight visitors because of the dearth of description. The viewer is left to largely fend for him or herself without a guide – written, audio or personal.
In fairness, the museum is small and it is understandable that audio and personal tours are expensive luxuries of larger venues. However, some written descriptions are posted, brief histories of Chinese puzzles and Rubik’s Cube for example, and one has to wonder how much expense would have been involved in doing the same thing for works of the exhibition's major contributors.
Contemporary artist Bathsheba Grossman, for instance, is a high tech sculptor whose oeuvre is based on mathematics. As she explains on her website: "As I write this, I'm making things mostly by direct-metal printing: there's a machine that takes a CAD file (Computer Aided Design) specifying a 3D object, and builds the object, physically, as metal. If this sounds like science fiction to you, well it might."
Grossman explains the process for the layman. Suffice to say it involves "stainless-steel powder held in place by a laser-activated binder." She builds her sculptures – those in this exhibit are paperweight size – in layers .004 inches -.007 inches thick. Grossman left her business card at the front counter of the museum. Without research a visitor would know nothing about her work, since there is nothing explained to the viewer about it.
Secrets Simple and Complex
At first glance the carved, beautifully finished wooden objects of Akio Kamei appear to be out of place in an exhibition of puzzles. In fact, you might be puzzled why these superbly looking novelties, toy-like in appearance, are included. What is not apparent, and what the display doesn’t tell the visitor, is they are actually part of another Japanese tradition, that of secret boxes. A little research on the web reveals how works like Bad Radio and Coffee Cup actually open up to reveal a hiding place.
George Hart is a geometer, a mathematician whose field is geometry. Of his work his website says: "As a sculptor of constructive geometric forms, my work deals with patterns and relationships derived from classical ideals of balance and symmetry. Mathematical yet organic, these abstract forms invite the viewer to partake of the geometric aesthetic."
Hart’s sculpture, People (2009) is a globe constructed of jigsaw Gumby-looking figures joined together to form a globe. The work’s complexity is belied by its simple form. The statement it makes, that people blanket the earth (and create the globe), is also simple and with equally complex ramifications.
Sculpture as Place Setting
Viewers are left to puzzle over the ornate works of Spanish sculptor Miguel Berrocal (1933 -2006) without explanation of who Berrocal was or what his work was about. Berrocal received formal training in mathematics, architecture, chemistry, and art. He ran a foundry in Negrar near Verona, Italy and metal is his artistic medium.
His Il Cofanetto (1969-1975)(The Casket), on display, is composed of 88 silver-plated elements. The sculpture disassembles to form complete place settings for two persons, including 23 utensils, 2 knife rests, 2 ashtrays, 2 water glasses, 2 wine glasses, 4 candlesticks, and an extremely ornate trivet. Around the outside of the sculpture, you can see the utensil handles, the knife rests, the ashtrays, the stems for the glasses, and the shafts of the candlesticks. All other elements are stored inside the box.
Another Berrocal work shown, Romeo e Giulietta (1967) is a 17-element brass sculpture containing four hinged elements unlike any other Berrocal sculpture. One internal element is a phallus complete with testicles which penetrates another internal element. The design of the sculpture allows for the "copulation" of Romeo and Juliet when manipulated correctly.
Yes, these works are beautiful in themselves and one can infer the broader mathematical implications, especially of Grossman’s and Hart's work. But a casual viewer could never truly understand the pieces of Berrocal or Kamei without some minimal explanation. Why the museum doesn’t attempt to provide such information, or directions on how to find it, is a puzzle in itself. The exhibition runs through August 16, 2009. For information regarding museum hours and upcoming exhibitions and events visit the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art website.
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