Artist stuff

I recently found this work by Chris Larson. He has been invited to participate in the 2014 whitney biennial. his piece "deep north" was inspired by a sudden snowstorm he saw in Switzerland. 

"…while vacationing in Versiox Switzerland, an intense ice storm moved in the night before covering everything. He said it was "gorgeous and apocalyptic." This inspired him to recreate the moment in his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. In the fall of 2008, he built a house, and then in February, the coldest month of the year in Minnesota, he sprayed hundreds of gallons of water on the house to recreate what he witnessed in Versiox. He then shot a short film inside of the house called "Deep North"."

Some people say that it is related to global warming and environmental concerns. Others say that it has Protestant imagery because the machinery and labor involved in it focuses on a way of life centered around working. I was personally attracted to the piece because it can also be related to memory and time. Interestingly these were also made into photographs and the double play of freezing time literally and metaphorically is another facet to this work. The use of objects in the house give it a sense of personalization that i am still trying to figure out in my thesis work. In some ways these pieces can be related to photographs of Chernobyl and of New Orleans after Katrina. The presence created by the objects implies inhabitants even if they are not actually pictured. I find that the frozen quality lacks the sense of tragedy or moroseness that might come from places where actual tragedy occurred. I am not sure how much historical context/knowledge plays into the viewpoint of this piece. Perhaps my perception would be different if someone told me a story of it. Because I know its created I have a positive feeling about it. Also the light quality of the ice adds to the positive feeling. Ice also gives the potential for a thaw, which is more positive than something resulting from destruction.

I have been thinking a lot about personal objects and what makes them significant. Some of the objects in this piece have a newer quality to it. Other objects have a sense of age or history to them, like the television or the push button telephone on the dresser. The use of the 'shotgun' style house was also of interest to me as that has multiple cultural associations but not very often with frozen climates.The video is very interesting but I think I find the photographs more compelling because of the frozen time association I spoke of earlier.

http://www.videoartworld.org/video_422.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkLmp8FPAUo