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
