A Test of Patience

“The only adhesive used in his work is gravity.” 

Stone balancing. By Michael Grab. 

Comments

[Rafi]

Witchcraft!

http://cdn.visualnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Michael-Grab-Gravity-Glue-4-730x438.jpg

[Theophrastus]

Glueless? Then I'm clueless.

[Hal]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I can hear the complaints already. But, but, but, How can this be called artistic if there is no demand for a grant, followed by the press conference with seflies and a photo booth, and then newspaper subsidized cocktail party?!??!?!?!!!!!

[Darleen]

Nice photos but I'm not buying the "gravity glue" schtick.

Lets see video of his finding those perfect little tripods on those rocks.

[Hal]

Lets see video of his finding those perfect little tripods on those rocks.

Oh, I've actually seen this done in person, with no idea if the same fellow or someone just doing the same. The tripod explanation actually does make sense . . . . . and very much does definitely require paying very close attention to the rock(s) and how they are balancing . . . .

[R. Sherman]

Fun with physics.

[Seb]

Yeah, I call bull. Is there no wind in Colorado?

[David]

Mr Grab does have videos on his website.

[David]

I rather like the fact he’s commercially minded and sells prints and calendars of his work, takes private commissions, gives demonstrations at private parties and corporate events, designs rock gardens, uses crowdfunding, etc. I haven’t yet found evidence of chronic taxpayer dependency. To me, that’s admirable, almost radical.

[jimmy]

This rocks.

badum tish

Serious skill and patience.

[Tim Newman]

It looks fake, but that's one of the beauties of genuine art: the artist's talent is so far and above that of an ordinary person that the end product induces admiration and, sometimes, disbelief. I'm reminded of the Asian lady featured on here whose performance consisting of balancing multiple wooden sticks on her head (I think) to create a huge latticework which defies belief...and at the addition of a feather at the end, it comes crashing down. These works clearly demonstrate not only talent but years of practice, dedication, and patience and the audience respects and admires this.

The contrast between this and the shite that our host mocks on a more regular basis, such as the subject of this piece, could not be more stark. Talentless doesn't even begin to describe it.

[David]

Tim,

I’ve added what I assume is a missing link to your comment above. From your wording it seemed to be implied. Let me know if I’m wrong.

[splotchy]

I saw examples of this in Canada about twenty years ago. Genuinely intruiging and lovely, especially when you happen upon it unexpectedly. Yet at the same time completely undemanding of those that aren't interested. If only more of those who create unconventional art had this approach.

[Watcher in the dark]

Thinking of rocks, try this vaguely related item. Your drinking can be improved, apparently

http://neveryetmelted.com/2014/11/01/latest-hipster-atrocity-artisanal-ice/

[David]

Your drinking can be improved, apparently.

Pah. That’s not artisanal ice. This is artisanal ice.

Goddamn hipster lightweights.

[Hal]

Yeah, I call bull. Is there no wind in Colorado?

Basically and as repeatedly noted, of course there is wind in Colorado . . . . there is wind . . . . Full scale storm driven gusts, not so common.

And the material here is rocks. Not feathers or bits of tissue paper or little stones made of pumice, rocks.

[dcardno]

There is a fellow who does this in Vancouver, around the shores of Stanley Park. It is just delightful to come around a corner on a run or bike ride and see dozens of balanced stone works. He (or she? - I have never seen the artist at work) performs at low tide, and of course the rocks are unbalanced by the rising tide.

[WTP]

A former coworker took a job with MS in Seattle and based on what he's been posting on FB, he seems to have caught some sort of rock-stacking bug

[Patrick Brown]

In other art news, my local museum has, with the aid of a grant from the Art Fund, purchased a painting called "Unitled" by William McKeown.

The press release calls it "stunning", "a rare and powerful large-scale abstract painting from McKeown's strongest period", and claims "the large format of the work gives the viewer the sense of looking through a window at an immense sky."

It's a square canvas painted grey.

http://www.artfund.org/news/2014/10/10/stunning-mckeown-painting-stars-in-belfast-exhibition

To justify the acquisition, they've invited an "expert" to give a lecture on the painting's importance.

It seems to me that fine art has degenerated into nothing but unoriginal publicity stunts. The value of this painting to the museum is in the controversy, and thereby publicity, it generates, nothing more. And any artist who tries to pass of a blank canvas as a work of art is a charlatan.

[David]

To justify the acquisition, they’ve invited an “expert” to give a lecture on the painting’s importance.

I hunted out a high-resolution version of it, hoping to spot some detail, some subtlety, that might justify the blather. Alas, there was none.

It seems to me that fine art has degenerated into nothing but unoriginal publicity stunts.

Well, the institutional infrastructure and many of those employed in it have certainly become degenerate. There doesn’t seem to be anyone with the integrity to say, publicly, “Wait a minute, this is shit.” Or words to that effect.

[wtp]

First time I encountered the "blank canvass as art" bit, I was reminded of an old Sesame Street bit with Burt & Ernie regarding a cow eating grass. Stay with it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2LvodzE2Ck

See David, you need to ask the right questions.

[Jason Bontrager]

It's impressive, but the first thing that sprang to mind was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs.

[Steve 2: Steveageddon]

Patrick Brown - I had artwork rejected by Tony Hart's gallery that was better than "untitled grey canvas".

I was surprised that Hart didn't appreciate how the iconicity of the purity of line endangered the devious simplicity of the exploration of montage elements.

Perhaps he just felt threatened because of the way the mechanical mark-making of the biomorphic forms seemed very disturbing in light of a participation in the critical dialogue of the 80s.

It was a crayon stick-figure drawing of my Mum, entitled "Mum".

[Hal]

It's a square canvas painted grey.

Oh, y'mean it's one of these.

The press release calls it "stunning"

They're bored. Very, very, very, very, very very bored.

They'd take up covering the UK political news, but that's the UK, and someone else is already covering the water tax upheavals.

[jimmy]

It's impressive, but the first thing that sprang to mind was https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XcKBmdfpWs.

oh lord, yes!

this needed to be set to loop on a projector next to the 'painting'.

[wtp]

it's one of these

The Sullivan and Giroux items have appeal. Much like Pollock, who was being disparaged on OT. Perhaps it's just an interest in the mathematical difficulties of randomness. Or perhaps his role as Cold War weapon...or not:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Pollock#Critical_debate

Phil Sims should stick to football, however.

[Tim Newman]

I’ve added what I assume is a missing link to your comment above. From your wording it seemed to be implied. Let me know if I’m wrong.

Heh!