ART 297 ICA review B. Beatrice

Bethany Beatrice
Digital Imaging
ICA Assignment
9/26/07


Though "The Divine Gas" is not one of the pieces I chose to focus on, I decided to comment on it considering it is so in your face as soon as you walk into the new ICA. I had seen the piece, by Chiho Aoshima, before on the ICA webpage. Seeing it online, I wasn’t able to get past anything but the content of the piece, which I thought was foolish. Seeing it in person, the sheer size of it overwhelmed me. I had missed so many details before. The use of color throughout the piece is truly magnificent. I disagree, and am generally appalled with the pamphlet reference and comparison of the piece with Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights (c.1500). I personally would n ot draw connections between these two pieces. In general though, Aoshima does create an alternate and ornate universe in this piece.
The pieces I chose to discuss were Louise Bourgeois’s "Spiral Woman" (1984) and Lia Cook’s "Binary Traces: Kay" (2005) from the Design Life Now Exhibit.
"Spiral Woman" is constructed of bronze with a slate disc. The piece shows the dangling limbs of a woman with the rest of her body being consumed by this spiraling force. To me, the body looks as though it is being weighed down by the force. The spiral could represent the struggles of being a woman, having to keep some sort of control during chaos or unexpected obstacles. To me, there seems to be a balance of control and chaos in the piece. The text panel also suggests the idea of vulnerability in the piece. By being a woman, one is immediately place in a vulnerable position where they need to balance the chaos in their own life and the lives of those around them.
The other piece that really fascinated me was Cook’s "Binary Traces: Kay". The piece is constructed of woven cotton, black and off-white. It appears that there is a photographic image of a woman’s face woven together. From far away, the image is very clear. Up close, the image jumbles together in many fragments of fabric. The piece not only has a photographic quality, but also a painting-like quality, which is very interesting because it is achieved by using digital techniques. According to the text panel, the process used to make this piece involves using a photographic media, computer aided technologies and a hand and machine powered Jacquard loom. Cook scans the photos and manipulates them on the computer. She is able to play with the scale, detail and focus of the image. The effect of this image woven together is rather striking and very interesting and incredibly realistic.