a regularly updated blog of (mostly painting) by Chicago artist James Beckman

James Beckman photography can be found at jamesbeckmanphotography.blogspot.com

Sunday, October 3, 2010

"pipe dreams" @ Helicon Hall, 10.2.2010

three separate pieces, together titled 'pipe dreams' formed my piece on exhibit for the deadline projects group show, 'neither here nor there'.


- the smallest, armed with a motion detector, warned those who crossed its path of its presence, though for most it took some time for them to realize where the sound was coming from. Mistaken for a doorbell or the door-jingle you might hear when entering your neighborhood 7-eleven, some became clearly annoyed by the sound, wondering "who keeps ringing that damned doorbell", not realizing it was themselves.



- the piece positioned in the middle of the space suggested a dead tree - barely able to support its own emaciated weight, it insisted it could balance quite well on its own, despite wrapping its self vine-like around a ceiling fixture. glowing green 'radioactivity' could be found in two separate areas, one near a deformation growth, and another sapping the life out of some of the last remaining greenery. During the opening, kids could be found running around, wrestling, and laying beneath the tree's gently swaying branches


- the largest of the works bore the markings of the materials - warehouse data, barcodes, and size information could be found stamped along every inch of the structure, and small battery powered lamps weakly lit the ends of the extreme armatures. It balanced itself precariously upon four main posts, and postured itself as though it could fall and hurt someone at any moment. despite all three being of the same materials, this particular piece seems blocky, chunky, and especially man made. in the overall scope of the three pieces together, this piece constitutes the 'bully' of the grouping...