Anish Kapoor

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012

Week 6- Anish Kapoor Sculpture

Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate (2004), Millennium Park, Chicago

Celebrated for his gigantic, stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Anish Kapoor is changing the cultural environment with his public works.

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.

Conceptual art is art in which the concepts or ideas involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns.

“

In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.   -Sol LeWitt

”

Conceptual art is different from "concept" as the content of art, but can be considered an abstract form of the idea and perception of the artwork originating in the artist's mind, which is later displayed in a proposed structure, and a variety of form. 

Anish Kapoor's work, Cloud Gate, I believe falls within the category of conceptual work. as said earlier, one of the interpretations of conceptual work is that the aesthetic of the work come after the underlying thought or idea the work has. In this case Anish Kapoor has done exactly this as he thought about what and how the public could interact with the work and based the design of it around that, not knowing what the work would look like until he has decided what he wanted the work to do. 

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

1. Orbit was commissioned byt the Greater London Authority from a shortlist of artist's proposals for a permanent artwork for the Olympic Park. Construction started in November 2010 and was completed in May 2012.  

Sketch book drawings

“I wanted the sensation of instability, something that was continually in movement. Traditionally a tower is pyramidal in structure, but we have done quite the opposite, we have a flowing, coiling form that changes as you walk around it. … It is an object that cannot be perceived as having a singular image, from any one perspective. You need to journey round the object, and through it. Like a Tower of Babel, it requires real participation from the public” — Anish Kapoor

“There is a kind of medieval sense to it of reaching up to the sky, building the impossible. A procession, if you like. It's a long winding spiral: a folly that aspires to go even above the clouds and has something mythic about it.” — Anish Kapoor

The ideas behind this work are clear in Anish Kapoor's quotes. He intended to 'build the impossible' which was incredibly tall. Starting off with the idea of a tower or pyramid structure, he moved from that to create a 'flowing and soiling form'. This work hugely involves the audience. As it is so interactive, you can look at it, change the view of it when you are to walk around the work, and the viewer is also able to walk up it. The bubble type part towards the top of the tower is a viewing platform, so you can view below it as well. This is a very interesting piece of conceptual art and intrigues me just from the computer screen.  

2.Anish Kapoor's sculpture Leviathan found at Grand Palais in Paris, alludes to the idea of cathedral: the body is a living breathing sacred place. 

Exterior

Interior 

Anish Kapoor says 'because of the nature of the building a wanted to make kind of gesture and make an attempt to turn the building inside out, to have the process that the viewer comes into the sculpture first, the interior, and then from there back out to the building again and then to the space between the sculpture and the building.'

This work was very moving from what i have read for the viewer. When in the building you feel large and superior but when stepped out of the interior and looking up at the exterior you realize how small and meaningless you are as the exterior is so huge. 

Rockefeller Centre

Kingsingotn Gardens

Sky Mirror, by Anish Kapoor is a intriguing sculpture, or 'outdoor exhibition' (Anish Kapoor). The ideas behind these sculptures are that you are able to view the sky without looking at it, and all the movements that come from the sky. Kapoor says 'It is like a television set'. You can watch it forever and it will always be changing. You can watch a Youtube video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3hd53lqoQ&feature=related and it is a slightly fastfowrded video of a sky mirror, you are able to see the clouds moving in the mirror, it is a beautiful image to watch. 

Kapoor has now placed many of these mirrors around the world, and some even have newer shapes, such as inverted cones. These are different to the sky mirror, but along the same lines. I found these works very interesting and beautiful to watch, it isn't very often we do look up and watch the sky for long, with these mirrors placed around it lets us to do and appreciate the beauty of the world. 

3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

This work, also called 'Dismemberment' was displayed on Gibbs Farm in Kaipara Bay. This farm is used to display many art works, as it is such a beautiful place. Owned by a wealthy entrepreneur, he purchased the land intending to use it for a potential place for making and displaying sculptures. . "The Farm" feature works by many famous sculpture artists.

4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

Site specific, a piece of Kapoors work, has been installed in New Zealand, located in Kaipara Bay, North of Auckland. Many red pieces of steel covered by red polyester fabric make up the structure of site specific. With a huge weight of 50,000kg the structure was intend to be a giant one. The idea behind the works that it is a 'passage', we are able to enter the work, but when entered in the work we are taken to an unknown 'elsewhere'. 

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

While researching Anrish Kapoor's work, the one that caught my attention the most was Sky Mirror- no particular location that the mirror was placed was a favorite but more the ideas of it. I think that it is so simplistic (a theme in conceptual art) and striking. When viewing the Youtube videos of the Sky Mirror you can really grasp what Kapoor was intending when making and placing the works. Once day i would absolutely love to be able to view one of these works in the flesh. 

http://www.caroun.com/art/conceptualart/conceptualart.html

http://anishkapoor.com/332/Orbit.html

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=anish+kapoor+leviathan&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1276&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=jVAejfH0x2ukQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2071451,00.html&docid=VxVwxirO6djlxM&imgurl=http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/kapoor/kapoor_0523_01.jpg&w=611&h=404&ei=-uCCUN2FE8ewiQfJh4HIDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=160&dur=694&hovh=182&hovw=276&tx=138&ty=64&sig=117228112329623622785&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:74

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8506594/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-Monumenta-2011-Grand-PalaisParis-review.html

http://2artichoke.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/anish-kapoor-leviathan-in-paris.html

http://www.evanread.net/b2.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/8030914/Its-the-location-of-Anish-Kapoors-Sky-Mirror-that-counts.html

http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/kapoor.php

http://anishkapoor.com/127/Dismemberment%2C-Site-I.html

Anish Kapoor

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2012

Week 6- Anish Kapoor Sculpture

Anish Kapoor

Cloud Gate (2004), Millennium Park, Chicago

Celebrated for his gigantic, stainless steel Cloud Gate sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park, Anish Kapoor is changing the cultural environment with his public works.

1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.

Conceptual art is art in which the concepts or ideas involved in the work take precedence over traditional aesthetic and material concerns.

“

In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art.   -Sol LeWitt

”

Conceptual art is different from "concept" as the content of art, but can be considered an abstract form of the idea and perception of the artwork originating in the artist's mind, which is later displayed in a proposed structure, and a variety of form. 

Anish Kapoor's work, Cloud Gate, I believe falls within the category of conceptual work. as said earlier, one of the interpretations of conceptual work is that the aesthetic of the work come after the underlying thought or idea the work has. In this case Anish Kapoor has done exactly this as he thought about what and how the public could interact with the work and based the design of it around that, not knowing what the work would look like until he has decided what he wanted the work to do. 

2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.

1. Orbit was commissioned byt the Greater London Authority from a shortlist of artist's proposals for a permanent artwork for the Olympic Park. Construction started in November 2010 and was completed in May 2012.  

Sketch book drawings

“I wanted the sensation of instability, something that was continually in movement. Traditionally a tower is pyramidal in structure, but we have done quite the opposite, we have a flowing, coiling form that changes as you walk around it. … It is an object that cannot be perceived as having a singular image, from any one perspective. You need to journey round the object, and through it. Like a Tower of Babel, it requires real participation from the public” — Anish Kapoor

“There is a kind of medieval sense to it of reaching up to the sky, building the impossible. A procession, if you like. It's a long winding spiral: a folly that aspires to go even above the clouds and has something mythic about it.” — Anish Kapoor

The ideas behind this work are clear in Anish Kapoor's quotes. He intended to 'build the impossible' which was incredibly tall. Starting off with the idea of a tower or pyramid structure, he moved from that to create a 'flowing and soiling form'. This work hugely involves the audience. As it is so interactive, you can look at it, change the view of it when you are to walk around the work, and the viewer is also able to walk up it. The bubble type part towards the top of the tower is a viewing platform, so you can view below it as well. This is a very interesting piece of conceptual art and intrigues me just from the computer screen.  

2.Anish Kapoor's sculpture Leviathan found at Grand Palais in Paris, alludes to the idea of cathedral: the body is a living breathing sacred place. 

Exterior

Interior 

Anish Kapoor says 'because of the nature of the building a wanted to make kind of gesture and make an attempt to turn the building inside out, to have the process that the viewer comes into the sculpture first, the interior, and then from there back out to the building again and then to the space between the sculpture and the building.'

This work was very moving from what i have read for the viewer. When in the building you feel large and superior but when stepped out of the interior and looking up at the exterior you realize how small and meaningless you are as the exterior is so huge. 

Rockefeller Centre

Kingsingotn Gardens

Sky Mirror, by Anish Kapoor is a intriguing sculpture, or 'outdoor exhibition' (Anish Kapoor). The ideas behind these sculptures are that you are able to view the sky without looking at it, and all the movements that come from the sky. Kapoor says 'It is like a television set'. You can watch it forever and it will always be changing. You can watch a Youtube video here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI3hd53lqoQ&feature=related and it is a slightly fastfowrded video of a sky mirror, you are able to see the clouds moving in the mirror, it is a beautiful image to watch. 

Kapoor has now placed many of these mirrors around the world, and some even have newer shapes, such as inverted cones. These are different to the sky mirror, but along the same lines. I found these works very interesting and beautiful to watch, it isn't very often we do look up and watch the sky for long, with these mirrors placed around it lets us to do and appreciate the beauty of the world. 

3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.

This work, also called 'Dismemberment' was displayed on Gibbs Farm in Kaipara Bay. This farm is used to display many art works, as it is such a beautiful place. Owned by a wealthy entrepreneur, he purchased the land intending to use it for a potential place for making and displaying sculptures. . "The Farm" feature works by many famous sculpture artists.

4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?

Site specific, a piece of Kapoors work, has been installed in New Zealand, located in Kaipara Bay, North of Auckland. Many red pieces of steel covered by red polyester fabric make up the structure of site specific. With a huge weight of 50,000kg the structure was intend to be a giant one. The idea behind the works that it is a 'passage', we are able to enter the work, but when entered in the work we are taken to an unknown 'elsewhere'. 

5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?

While researching Anrish Kapoor's work, the one that caught my attention the most was Sky Mirror- no particular location that the mirror was placed was a favorite but more the ideas of it. I think that it is so simplistic (a theme in conceptual art) and striking. When viewing the Youtube videos of the Sky Mirror you can really grasp what Kapoor was intending when making and placing the works. Once day i would absolutely love to be able to view one of these works in the flesh. 

http://www.caroun.com/art/conceptualart/conceptualart.html

http://anishkapoor.com/332/Orbit.html

http://www.google.co.nz/imgres?q=anish+kapoor+leviathan&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=N&rls=en&biw=1276&bih=680&tbm=isch&tbnid=jVAejfH0x2ukQM:&imgrefurl=http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,2071451,00.html&docid=VxVwxirO6djlxM&imgurl=http://img.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2011/kapoor/kapoor_0523_01.jpg&w=611&h=404&ei=-uCCUN2FE8ewiQfJh4HIDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=568&vpy=160&dur=694&hovh=182&hovw=276&tx=138&ty=64&sig=117228112329623622785&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=204&start=0&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:2,s:0,i:74

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-reviews/8506594/Anish-Kapoor-Leviathan-Monumenta-2011-Grand-PalaisParis-review.html

http://2artichoke.blogspot.co.nz/2011/05/anish-kapoor-leviathan-in-paris.html

http://www.evanread.net/b2.htm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/8030914/Its-the-location-of-Anish-Kapoors-Sky-Mirror-that-counts.html

http://www.gibbsfarm.org.nz/kapoor.php

http://anishkapoor.com/127/Dismemberment%2C-Site-I.html