How we experience time and memory through art | Sarah Sze

Summary

The speaker explores the intersection of art, memory, and time through various mediums, including painting, sculpture, and installation. They reflect on the creative process, how objects and images gain value, and the blurry boundaries between life and art. Key works like 'Portable Planetarium' and 'Fallen Sky' reveal a focus on immersive experiences and the passage of time. The artist discusses experimenting with mundane materials, visual movement, and the evolution of their work from private studio spaces to public displays, aiming to leave lasting impressions in memory.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The artist explores the question of how to make a personal planetarium, reflecting a desire to make meaning of the world through materials.
• 🎨 The process involves creating immersive art experiences that occupy physical and mental spaces, aiming to leave lasting memories.
• 🧠 The artist believes that skill alone is insufficient in art; content and meaning are essential, which led them to shift from painting to exploring how objects acquire value.
• 🔍 Everyday objects, such as toothpicks and thumbtacks, are transformed through the artist’s energy and time, aiming to create value beyond their functional purpose.
• 🌀 The artist seeks to blur the boundaries between different mediums like painting, sculpture, and installation, as well as between life and art.
• 🐆 Time and movement are key themes, with experiments such as using a cheetah’s speed to symbolize time and projecting images onto physical objects to show the fusion of the real and the virtual.
• ⏳ The artist explores the concept of memory, where single moments can expand and distort over time, creating immersive visual experiences that linger.
• 📽️ The artist’s work reflects the confusion between images and objects, much like how we experience an overload of media today.
• 🖼️ The artist’s 'Afterimage' series focuses on the interior visual experiences we all have, representing memories that flicker and linger beyond photographic capture.
• 🔨 The merging of mediums and techniques is central to their process, with works evolving from sketches, small models, and iPhone videos into large-scale public installations, blending personal memories with public art.

Q & A

What was the initial inspiration behind the artist's work 'Portable Planetarium'?

The artist was inspired by the question, 'What would it look like to build a planetarium of one's own?' This idea sparked the exploration of creating immersive experiences using materials found around them.

How does the artist describe their relationship with materials in their work?

The artist uses materials to create immersive experiences, often emphasizing the fragility and futility in the human desire to make meaning of the world. They gather everyday objects to transform them into something that occupies both physical spaces and memory.

Why did the artist temporarily stop painting during graduate school?

The artist realized they had developed technical skill in painting but lacked a subject or content. They decided to stop painting to explore why and how objects acquire personal value, which led them to experiment with non-traditional materials.

What kinds of materials did the artist begin working with after stepping away from painting?

The artist collected mass-produced, everyday materials such as toothpicks, thumbtacks, and toilet paper. These objects were not chosen for their aesthetic value but for their accessibility, as the artist sought to create value through their own time and energy.

How does the artist blur the boundaries between life and art in their work?

The artist challenges the traditional distinctions between mediums like sculpture, painting, and installation, aiming to blur the experience of everyday life and art. They hope that viewers will recognize the everyday in their work and see art in their own lives.

What role does time play in the artist's work, particularly with images?

The artist explores how time is experienced through materials and how images, like memories, can shift and change over time. They play with the fluidity of time by creating moving, evolving images in space, such as the cheetah sculpture that measures time by movement.

What is the significance of the cheetah in the artist's work?

The cheetah, known for being the fastest land animal, becomes a symbol and tool for the artist to measure time. Its movement through space is used to experiment with the perception of time and how images are not static but constantly evolving.

What does the artist mean by 'afterimage,' and how does this concept influence their work?

An afterimage refers to the lingering visual impression that remains after an image is no longer present. The artist is fascinated by this idea and uses it as a metaphor for how memory works—how images fade, evolve, or stay with us over time, influencing their 'Afterimage' series.

How does the artist incorporate public spaces into their work?

The artist creates large-scale installations that blend art with public spaces, such as subway stations. These works are designed to immerse the viewer and blur the line between art and everyday environments, turning public spaces into parts of their artistic process.

What is the underlying theme of tension in the artist's work?

Tension plays a central role, especially in works like the pendulum piece, where the pendulum's swing brings both beauty and the potential to destroy the sculpture. This tension symbolizes the delicate balance between creation and destruction, a recurring theme in the artist's practice.