New Experiences in Old Places

http://blog.preservationnation.org/2014//10/06/new-art-old-places...

Luftwerk at the Farnsworth House
Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe
Plano, Illinois
archdaily.com

Hello Everyone:

In Tom Mayes's ongoing series "Why Old Places Matter," on of the subjects covered was the connection between creativity and old places, on vivid display at Nations throughout the United States. Katherine Malone-France, vice president for historic sites for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, shares four examples of how old places can be an inspiration for installation pieces in her post, "New Art, Old Places: Four Examples of Inspiration Amplified."  Ms. Malone-France reports, "Right now, four of our sites have dramatic new installations...boundaries of their interpretations while being powerfully linked to their history.

Shadow-on-the-Teche
New Iberia (Iberia) Parish, Louisiana
en.wikipedia.org

If you are planning to travel down to the New Iberia Parish in the state of Louisiana over the next few months, be sure to check out Shadows-on-the-Teche.  What is the attraction, you may ask?  The attraction is being entertained by the virtuoso fiddling of David Greely on the second floor gallery, overlooking visual artist Linda Frese hard at work in the painting studio of the former home of sugar cane planter David Weeks and his wife Mary.  A grant from the National Endowment for the Arts is enabling these two artists to participate in a yearlong residency at the planation, creating new works of art, inspired by this antebellum site.  Their tenure will culminate in a spring 2015 festival, inspired by Shadows and the interplay of the artists.  The results should be quite fascinating.  Ms. Malone-France promises an update in November, stay tuned.

The Veil at The Glass House
Fujiko Nakaya
New Canaan, Connecticut
theglasshouse.org

Philip Johnson's Glass House is considered one of the seminal works of modern architecture.  The late architect's former residence is a source of inspiration for Fujiko Nakaya, who created an immersive installation pieces, Veil, that uses fog to shroud and reveal the house.  Ms. Malone-France experienced Veil this past summer and writes, "Being enveloped in the dense fog stopped all the random...around in my head.  And as it slowly dissipated, I was left with existential...connection between what is fleeting and what is permanent, and overwhelming significance of the legacy of Philip Johnson and David Whitney."

Sea Andromeda
Albert Paley
Stockbridge, Massachusetts
yelp.com

Chesterwood, the summer home and studio of Daniel Chester French is the inspiration for contemporary sculptor Albert Paley.  The large-scale pieces are rendered in plaster and are housed in the restored studios of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century sculptor. Ms. Malone-France observed, "While their sculptures are rendered in entirely different media--plaster for Paley--I was struck by how both are brought to life by the beautiful quality...of Chesterwood."  Ms. Malone-France cites Daniel Chester French's work Sea Andromeda as an example of how the natural light flooding the studio enhances the "humanity and drama" of the piece.

This was deliberate on the part of the late Mr. French who designed a railroad track so that he could roll the enormous works he created outside as worked on them.  The natural light also enhances Mr. Paley's work--they change throughout the day as the sun move across the sky finishing "...in the spectacular piece Progression...studio lawn and glows lavender-pink in the Berkshire sunset."

INsite by Luftwerk
Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe
Plano, Illinois
publicartinchicago.com

This past Friday, October 17, the well-known artist collaborative Luftwerk debuted their installation piece In Site of Light at the Farnsworth House, designed by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, in Plano, Illinois. Luftwerk had previously presented installation works at Fallingwater in Bear Run, Pennsylvania and Millenium Field in Chicago, Illinois.  The project was brought to life through crowd sourced funding, which raised $25,000 for the installation at the Farnsworth House.

In Site of Light took three years to make and illustrates how the Modern Movement architect's elegant architecture continues to inspire new art and design.  "Ten video projection...structure, displaying a cohesive, fluid video composition that will be enhanced by Chicago-based percussionist Owen Clayton Condon."  Like Veil, In Site of Light plays with main characteristics of the house--its minimalism--to create an entirely new experience of the building, yet so distinctive.

On a self-congratulatory note, Katherine Malone-France writes,

Each of these projects is made possible not only by the creativity of the art and dedication of our staff members--from the building staff at the Glass House...new piping for Veil's fog to exist, to the executive director at Shadows...introduced the artists at the Shadows to the site's collection and the the grounds staff at Chesterwood who used cranes to lower the huge Paley...locations selected by the artists...

Art and architecture have always inspired each other.  Thanks to these and other collaborative efforts, art and architecture can continue to bring new ways to experience old places