Lee Patrick [Johnson]

So this is the proposal Ben and I submitted that won the ‘Sitings 2010: Museum as Action’ competition at the RISD Museum of Art.  Our piece will be displayed at the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art from February 26 until June 8th 2010.  Not gonna lie, I’m immensely excited.  I plan to keep this post growing as we fabricate the column, get the digital projection working and finally install the piece.  There are going to be a lot of difficulties but I am confident we can pull it off flawlessly.

Project Narrative One

Our site-specific collaboration, entitled “The Column”, will exist on the back of the freestanding video wall of the Media Gallery.  Our points of reference are the two existing columns that frame our primary installation space (diagrams 1).  The piece will consist of one sculpted column that bends away from the wall and looms over the viewer, at approximately a thirty-degree angle from the wall.  The remaining space between the pre-existing columns will consist of three repeated video projections of a reference column.

Materials for this piece will address two needs, one being the fabrication of the column the other being the electronic hardware needed for projected media.  The sculpted column will be attached to the wall using a wood and metal armature that will be hidden within the column. The column form will be made of high-density foam covered in a coating of plaster then latex paint (diagram 3).  The image will come from a video projector mounted on the adjacent stairwell (diagram 2).   The materials needed for projection are a DVD projector, a DVD of digital images, hardware and cables.

On the day of installation, we will prepare the projection wall as a blank white canvas then initiate the projection.  This will dictate the placement of the pre-fabricated sculpted column, which will be placed to have two columns projected to the left and one column to the right.  To return the installation space to its original conditions we will remove the projector, all hardware and the sculpted column.  After removal of all elements will we spackle, sand, and paint any altered areas to meet specifications dictated by the museum.

Project Narrative Two

For this proposal, we researched the spaces available and chose one that inspired us and spoke to the mission statement of the Sightings 2010 Prospectus.  Site B, the backside of the Media Gallery, included two column forms and a wall.  The location is ideal for utilizing the columns to address classical concepts of art and the ephemeral nature of new media contextualized within the adjacent museum space.  Additionally the architecture of this space allows for the viewer to interact directly with the piece.  The decision to mimic the pre-existing columns both in sculptural form and digital media urges the viewer to question the material nature of contemporary art.

The projection will be high definition photographs taken of the reference column.  This element will be interactive in that the viewer will cast a shadow and alter the projected light by moving through the path of the video while viewing the piece.  The sculpted column will be altered so that the upper portion leans away from the wall and over the viewer (diagram 3).  The choice to manipulate the classical column form establishes the artifice of the piece and creates tension to visually impact the viewer.

The overall conceptual framework for this piece is based on the idea that the museum is put in a position to both provide creative outlet and also to contextualize art.  Inherently this delicate balance creates tension and dialogue in the need for granting creative freedom to the artist while curating for the museum audience.  As academics, we perceive the RISD Museum as not solely a vitrine for housing and cataloging art but also a place for the collaborative discourse between the public, the artist, and the institution.  To execute this viewpoint we made choices of media and form that allow the viewer to enter the piece as a participant and while encouraging conversation regarding the fluctuating nature of art in the museum space.

Budget:

Item #	Description	Cost	Quantity	Total
1	1 gal. Flat Int. White Paint	$15	1	$15
2	2 gal. Premium Spackle	$20	1	$20
3	1 gal. Flat Int. White Paint	$15	1	$15
4	1” Rigid Poly Foam-8’x4’ sheet	$20	3	$60
5	USD Molding Plaster 50 lbs.	$25	2	$50
6	Rebar Steel Rod 10’	$5	2	$10
7	2” x 4” 8’ studs	$3	4	$12
8	Recordable DVD	$5	1	$5
9	Track Lighting Plug	$30	1	$30
10	Misc Hardware and Fasteners	$40	-	$40
11	Projector (with DVD player)		1	$723
12	Super 77 Spray Glue Cans	$10	2	$20
			Total	$1000

Images:

All information regarding the competition can be found at http://www.risdmuseum.org/