Torqued Ellipse

My fascination with metal sculpture is what alluded me to Richard Serra. His fascination with contorting metal and displaying them as these gigantic spectacles would make any artist drop jaw. Torqued Ellipses relate back to another one of Serra's pieces called The Matter of Time. They are similar only because of spiral shape, but the idea and meaning behind it couldn't be anymore different. Here is the building process of Torqued Ellipses http://www.spliteye.com/serra/installation.htm. Serra took a new approach when designing this piece because he had to construct multiple angles and dimensions to create warped visual aspect. http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/serra/flash.html.
Torqued Ellipses uses a series of convex shapes made to look like warped cones. These constructs when entered throw people into a state of delirium due to the odd space and light.
This is probably my favorite piece that Serra ever constructed because I like that it plays with people's mind. This is what I believe a sculptor should display in his work all the time, when a person sees a piece like Torque Ellipses they should leave with an emotional memory imprinted with their mind. http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/serra/flash.html . This video reveals an experience during the exhibition in Dia in New York in 2007. This reveals what Serra was doing during the show and creation of Torqued Ellipses.
Serra is an inspiration to anyone one that loves sculpture or architecture because of his masterful manipulation of steel and imagination. I respect the way he thinks of the audience and not just his own vision. Torqued Ellipses in my opinion is the best work of Serra because it utilizes what Serra's vision is all about to capture the imagination and leave the viewer breathless.

Resources
http://www.powells.com/biblio/0944521355
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2007/serra/

Matter of Time

Matter of time was stationed in Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. The construct uses steel sheets that are two inches thick, fifty feet long, and fourteen feet high. This video gives an inside look of the Matter of Time http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_nOB-IZ4pg. Serra utilized the steel structure into a metallic maze that occupies a room four hundred and thirty feet long and eighty feet wide. Serra is mostly influenced by ship building ports which is why most of his work incorporates steel. But Serra's stylization is inspired by the forces of nature such as time and space.
Just like a lot of Serra's work the Matter of Time is accessible to people. Most people that go inside this structure would have the feeling of going through a maze or vortex. An artist who relates to Serra work would be the work of Liam Gillick who also uses metal and enormous structures to reveal his ideals. http://chrisashley.net/resources/images/2005July/AKGForman/UnknownAlbrightKnox20050701.jpg This reminds me of the story of Alice in Wonderland because the combination of spirals and waves can be related to a different dimension. This amazing spectacle transports it's viewers into a world of rusty chaotic beauty.
As stated previously about this piece giving off a feeling of being a in a maze. This statement is conflicting the ideas behind this piece because a maze entails the there is a begining and end where as The Matter of Time stresses that the beginning and end are one in the same. Serra did not want this piece to act like a maze but rather give an experience of drama and danger. The feeling of the walls closing in and the metal resembling a prison provides the audience with more than a giant display of metal but to provide them with an emotional experience they will never forget.


Resources
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2005/jun/22/art
http://www.nysun.com/arts/richard-serra-man-of-steel/84120/
http://chrisashley.net/weblog/archives/2005_08.html'
www.Google.com
www.youtube.com

Fulcrum

Richard Serra's Fulcrum made in 1987 is simply a structure of physical poetry. This piece is surrounded by a building complex in Liverpool, England. The height of this piece scales to fifty five feet and thought by many to be a structure of great admiration. Serra's piece used skills such as architecture, welding, sculpture, and even construction. This piece was built with 5 plates of Cor-ten steel which have rusted over the years.
Serra's minimalist ideals seem strange due to the shear size of his work but Fulcrum's brilliance hides within. Almost all of Serra's work is accessible to the public which allows people to go inside the structure and let viewers get a better experience then to just see the outside.http://www.flickr.com/photos/kaszeta/2659044479/ The concept for fulcrum was to create a large structure in a cramped space to give off a sense of enclosure as well as a feel of protection. This concept of fortress and sanctuary plays a big part in a lot of Serra's work. To me this piece reminds me of a child's ultimate tree house meant to stimulate imagination.
Fulcrum is one Serra's first projects to be created outside a studio and put out as a public viewing marvel. When inside the structure if viewer looks up they will a pentagon shape which entails that structure has a system of geometry within the structures schematics. Fulcrum provides a sense surprise and mystery to it's viewers because of it's odd location. Some people that work in the surrounding buildings find it to be a distraction where as others use it as an escape. Fulcrum's simple beauty and brute texture allow people's curiosity to expand into this rusty sanctuary. Many of Serra's ideals fall behind this style of allowing people to not only see with their eyes but to go inside and experience it from within.



Resources
http://www.areaofdesign.com/americanicons.htm
http://www.vicinitee.com/docs/community/gallery/details.cfm?AlbumID=22&CR=8
www.pbs.org/art21
www.google.com