Michel Gondry at the Hammer

It has been an inspiring few weeks here at UCLA. Last tuesday the 21st, Michel Gondry visited the Hammer museum in Westwood! People were lined up around the block see this eccentric artist. With the help of my very kind roommate who works for the Hammer I got in.

Before the lecture proceeded more than 5 minutes, Gondry stopped the interviewer in mid sentence to gripe about the glaring white pages left on the reserved seats. He went on about how the organizers of the event said it was a packed house yet there were papers dotting the auditorium which served as a major distraction.  Gondry stopped the interviewing process for a good five minutes before the seats were filled with eager artists and loyal fans who stayed to watch the lecture projected in an overflow room.

The last question that resonated with me is when Gondry was asked about language barriers. The interviewer said something like “do you ever find it hard to understand english” (something idiotic like that) and Gondry replied that he always understands except when he needs time to formulate a good answer, he will say “oh i do not understand can you rephrase your question…”

All in all I got a very good feeling about Gondry. He has an amazing ego-building body of work and yet he appears so humble and down to earth. He has a “matter of fact” tone about his art. If something didn’t go quite as planned he would say well that is just how t’is. The little flaws in his pieces give a more rich handmade character. Oh I aspire to have the same attitude about my work. It is important not to take yourself too seriously . So often we try to take all the credit for our art when in reality it is just an amalgum of our predecessors creations. We just take a specific cocktail of visual stimuli and repackage it in a more modern rendition of what has already been established.  But Michel Gondry’s cocktail is dynamic; it reaches the core of our most playful, childlike nature and exposes certian curriosities about the physical world. He brings the ephemeral and intangable into plain sight for our entertainment. I am inspired!

A New School Year

At the end of September I returned to the Getty to continue my internship at the exhibition design department. It felt like I was only gone for a week when it was really 3 and a half months. Since leaving for summer, three people moved on to other jobs and the department is now having interviews. I wish I could interview for the designer one position. I seriously considered taking some time off from school in order to apply at the Getty but everyone tells me that the last year of school is important. So I will stick it out and enjoy where I am.

In other news, I went on an office field trip to the LACMA. The exhibit designer of LACMA lead our department on a tour. We arrived at the Pre-Colombian portion of the Latin American art wing. I must admit that I had no idea what to expect. I initially saw the undulating wooden walls, wrapping around the door frames, and thought it was a piece of art. It was impressive. But then I got to thinking; is this decoration or does it serve a purpose?

LACMA pre columbian art entrance

Jorge Pardo, a sculptor, designer and artist, aimed to accentuate the ancient in a unique way. He said the the bright hues (18 colors in all three galleries), would not take away from the pieces which are intrinsically interesting. Personally, I was taken by the oranges and yellows of the first room. The space was striking,  accentuated with Pardo’s ornamental lanterns that had to be hand assembled by the exhibit designers. But that’s just it, it way overpowered the art encased in the horizontal wooden material. With iridescent vertical 8 foot drapes hanging from the ceiling, the gallery looked more like a trendy Los Angeles martini bar that would soon look dated. The contrast between this ultra modern aesthetic and the ancient art was beautiful but I just don’t think it has staying power. When the slates collect dust and the unfinished board is smudged with fingerprints how will it look? In this photo notice how the panels create odd topographical shapes. C’mon the the stand in the center looks like a pregnant woman.

Gallery

I took a few photos of the lamps. I thought they would go nicely with my multi-colored IKEA particle board furniture.

Gallery Lamps

Most of the art was hiding behind these wooden panels.

Art is hiding

However, a nice contrast is created between the sculptures in the center of the gallery and the paneled walls.

ready for my close up