Sunday, August 31, 2014

Installation: A Room




A Room, an installation by Cambodian artist, 
Sopheap Pich, has been on view 
this summer at the main entrance of the 
Indianapolis Museum of Art.
Suspended from the ceiling, the circular
enclosure is made from strips of bamboo, 
aluminum, plastic, polyethylene 
braided line, and Teflon floss. 


Each bamboo strand, thirty-seven feet in length, 
was shaved and shaped by the artist's 
assistants after being cured in boiling water 
to remove any insects. As people moved in and out 
of the enclosure, a metallic ring could be heard
when one of the aluminum strands sang its protest.
It reminded me of the chimes many folks
had on their front porches, tinkling atonal choruses
in the summer breezes. 


The effect of A Room then, is not exactly from 
its physical presence, but what it may make 
the individual see in its surroundings. 
For me, it was the shadows made by the curtain 
as the sunlight filtered through the strands, 
and the occasional metallic ping that recalled 
the pleasant chimes of my childhood.

2 comments:

Stefan Jansson said...

The assistants did a good job.

William Kendall said...

It's beautiful work!