A Rim Baik
Summer 2015 Integrative Seminar 2
June 24, 2015
Texture, a Fascination for artists
When the term “texture” comes to mind, some people might simply think of fabric or certain surfaces like walls and floors, having softness or harshness. Yet, there is more to the texture than that. It is used in different art forms. A lot of artists and designers are fascinated by the texture and represent their work with it in a various way. Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped entire Reichstag building in Berlin with giant fabric, Thomas Heatherwick, an architectural designer, won World Expo 2010 by distinctive textured Pavilion, and lastly Ann Hamilton showed that even a space can have the texture through her large scale installation, named “the event of a thread express.”
Christo and Jeanne-Claude, married couple of artists, have worked a lot of huge scale of environmental arts, and it is impossible to discuss their works without the texture because what they deeply focus on is wrapping or packaging something with fabric. There are no limits for he objects they work with. It varies from daily objects like a telephone, armchairs and magazines to even greater spaces such as a shoreline in Australia and monumental building like Reichstag in Berlin. In terms of the way to use fabric, some might say wrapping is obvious and straightforward; however, depending on the object, the act of wrapping could give profound messages or emotions to viewers. For instance, “Wrapped Reichstag,” Berlin, 1971-95 has significant historical meaning. The Reichstag building, the original German parliament, has experienced continuous historic changes. It was built in 1894, but burned in 1933 by Adolf Hitler, and almost destroyed in 1945, and it was restored after World War II.[1] However, by covering the whole building with silver fabric and shaping with blue ropes, Christo and Jeanne-Claude made Reichstag have softness and lightness since the fabric texture helps viewers to experience an intimate feeling to the building. If the architecture of the Reichstag itself represents a sort of hardness Germany used to be, but the wrapped version could be seen as an ideal symbol of a unified Germany.
Using extraordinary texture in architectural design, Thomas Heatherwick, a British designer built the UK Pavilion in Shanghai World Expo 2010 and won the competition among a number of countries participating in. The theme of the expo was “Better City — Better life,” future of the cities. He designed a cathedral of seeds because he believes that seeds are fundamental human nutrition and important for the ecology of the planet in the future. Compared to many other Expo’s pavilions focusing on form making, Heatherwick decided to concentrate simplicity by exploring texture. Every surface is covered to transparent acrylic rods, 7.5 meters long, so it looks like silvery hairs surrounded the entire structure. All of the rods extend through the walls of the pavilion and 250,000 seeds cast in each tips.[2] These whole things could gently move when the wind blows. Besides, since he magnified the texture of the building enough, the texture details actually become its form, the shape of a box. It is also impressive that he didn’t put any thing but seeds inside of the pavilion. There were no high technological devices that other countries tried to represent, but this absence was rather successful to attract visitors because it provided different atmosphere in comparison with other pavilions.[3] Since this seeds cathedral had unique texture, it stimulated everyone’s curiosity and made them want to see closely and touch and feel the texture. As a result, even though the shape of structure was not incredible, the fact that Heatherwick focused on only one powerful element, which was the texture made the UK pavilion stand out from the others and led him to win the expo.
Thomas Heatherwick concentrated the texture itself; in contrast, Ann Hamilton showed a little different expression of the texture in her work “the event of a thread,” a large scale of installation at the Park Avenue Armory in New York. In terms of the installation, connected to one another through ropes, forty-two swings and a vast silk fabric are suspended from the ceiling. When visitors use swings, they also pull the fabric through the rope system. As a result of this, the curtain moves smoothly like shimmering waves and the entire installation becomes a relational art piece. Therefore, if people are not using swings, this installation does not fully complete, so visitors could be a part of performance. On top of this, there is a table near the entrance and two performers are sitting and reading texts aloud. There are many kinds of texts from Aristotle to Descartes and they are changed daily.[4] Their voice is carried throughout the space by forty-two portable radios in paper bags that visitors can carry around and listen to. The readers are surrounded by pigeons housed in cages, and these pigeons are supposed to be released at the end of each day to fly around the hall. Lots of visitors were playing on the swings, lying down on the floor beneath the immense curtain, seeing it rise and fall. Some of them were holding the radios to their ears closely and hearing the readers’ voice. In an interview with Lisa Dent, Hamilton said that she got an inspiration from a phrase “all weaving is the event of a thread” in Anni Alber’s book On designing and explained “This refers to the crossing of threads when making a larger cloth, but also, for me, it’s about touch in a broader sense. Whenever two things cross, whether physically, conceptually or spatially — that is when something happens.”[5] According to what she mentioned, it seems that she wove the whole space as the texture simultaneously. What she tried to create was not only the fabric texture itself but also the gentle wind while swings are moving and the curtain is fluttering, the murmuring sound of readers, and an echo of peoples’ laughter. Therefore, from subtle whisper to the vast fabric curtain “the event of a thread” is filled with various textures, and could be seen as one of the great art forms to use the texture in a creative way.
In conclusion, for following examples, it is true that the texture is more than one-dimensional surface quality. It is profoundly connected with diverse art forms and translates strong feelings to audience. It gives social or historical messages like Christo and Jeanne-Claude did, attracts the viewers’ interest like Thomas Heatherwick’s seeds cathedral, and creates harmony between people and spaces with intimacy, which could be seen in Ann Hamilton’s installation. As a result, the texture is used in different art forms in an innovative way and makes them powerful and memorable.
Bibliography
Chiappini, Ruby. Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Milan: Skira ; Museo d’arte moderna della Città di Lugano, 2006.
Dent, Lisa. 2012. “ANN HAMILTON.” Art In America 100, no. 11: 172-177. Art Source, EBSCOhost (accessed June 24, 2015).
Heatherwick, Thomas. Making. New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012.
Stevens, Elizabeth. “ANN HAMILTON’S “THE EVENT OF A THREAD” AT PARK AVENUE ARMORY NEW YORK.” artconnect, December 13, 2012. http://blog.artconnect.com (accessed June 24, 2015).
[1] Ruby Chiappini, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, (Milan: Skira ; Museo d’arte moderna della Città di Lugano, 2006), 185.
[2] Thomas Heatherwick, Making, (New York: The Monacelli Press, 2012), 449.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Elizabeth Stevens, “ANN HAMILTON’S “THE EVENT OF A THREAD” AT PARK AVENUE ARMORY NEW YORK.” artconnect, December 13, 2012. http://blog.artconnect.com (accessed June 24, 2015).
[5] Lisa Dent, 2012. “ANN HAMILTON.” Art In America 100, no. 11: 172-177. Art Source, EBSCOhost (accessed June 24, 2015).
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