OnTheCusp.org

Art and Nature Park Artists: Updated and Abbreviated

Some recent announcements and changes have been made by the IMA in regards to the inaugural installations due to be unveiled at the opening of the Virginia Fairbanks Art and Nature Park next year. The Indianapolis Business Journal did an excellent write up on the topic here, (note: they have some more great info on their site that I can not seem to find at this time but worth a look) so rather than go over a lot of the same info, I wanted to just re post these snippets from the IMA press release concerning each project and once again poll our readers as to their personal preference, or rather, which project are you most looking forward to seeing? The poll is in the right hand column, but feel free to comment on your selections in the comments section here.

Concepts for the eight inaugural installations include:

Atelier Van Lieshout: Joop van Lieshout, with his studio Atelier van Lieshout, will present Funky Bones, a group of 20 benches with drawings of large bones that will together form the shape of an enormous, stylized human skeleton. The work grows out of ideas about native heritage and cultural development, with bones iconicly referring to artifacts and remains from previous occupants. The artist, who encountered visitors sitting on rocks and other natural perches on his visit to Indianapolis, wanted to create benches as sites for resting in the Art & Nature Park. Two locations for the installation are under consideration, either in one large grouping in the park’s central meadow, or dispersed in various locations throughout the park.


Kendall Buster: The artist has developed designs for a dock-like structure or a series of such structures that will echo the curves of the existing landscape. The dock/platforms will extend gently into the lake, providing access to the water or simply a place to sit. In response to the fishing spots Buster discovered while exploring the site, she has conceived of either a single dock/fishing platform or three smaller versions of the structure scattered at various points.


Alfredo Jaar: Project details to be updated later.


Jeppe Hein: Jeppe Hein produces experiential, architectural, and kinetic artworks that are often activated by the audience. After multiple site visits over the course of a year, the artist is in the process of developing a work that might be, in his words, a “subtle” piece that “not everyone will notice” at first glance, such as a bush or tree that will respond to the approach of Art & Nature Park visitors. Hein will have a corollary component exhibited in the IMA’s Forefront galleries, which will be conceived as a counterpart to the Park commission piece.


Los Carpinteros: The artist collective is developing a large-scale installation in the Art & Nature Park that continues the collective’s interest in the juxtaposition of the practical and the imaginary. In consideration of the park site, Los Carpinteros draws inspiration from recent sculpture series, including Portaaviones and Zambódromo, which combine the idea of the swimming pool with unexpected elements such as aircraft carriers and outdoor dance arenas. Alterations of scale will figure into the collective’s project for the IMA, looking to improvise on the form and design of basic building materials.


Tea Mäkipää: Mäkipää will create a sculptural profile of a ship emerging from the Art & Nature Park’s lake. With its name, Eden 2, painted on each side, the ship is a modern-day ark seemingly filled with human passengers. The artist proposes to use multimedia audio-visual devices to represent the boat’s interior.


Type A: The art collaborative is producing a real time conceptual performance in the form of a team-building initiative with the Art & Nature Park’s interdepartmental staff. Type A has been training in the Adventure and Experiential Learning industry in order to facilitate team-building exercises with Park staff in Indianapolis. In addition to the performative aspects, the project will generate two and three-dimensional and time-based artwork, including a large sculpture inspired by the design of challenge course elements, and photographic and video documentation of staff training sessions.


Andrea Zittel: Zittel is developing a design for a large floating island to be installed in the lake of the Art & Nature Park. The island will be functional and inhabitable, with an interior space that can be approached by rowboat and explored by park visitors. With many uses, including picnics, classes, and various exploratory journeys, the island will be an experiment in modular living, examining the daily needs of contemporary human beings.

This post was written by: