Today, ASAG1601 went to the Hughes-Trigg Student Center's Pollock Gallery to investigate artist Frances Stark. She appears to use a combination of [her own definition of] carbon, gouache, rice paper, and cut-outs from a variety of sources (magazines, posters, et cetera). However, I will not be writing about her media or usage thereof. Instead, this post will document my interpretations of three of her pieces in the installation.
"Unfortunately nothing is so hard to achieve as a literary representation of a man thinking."
This piece immediately stood out to me not as two circles with repeating English letters to form a sentence, but an ASCII image. Upon further inspection, the the reality and my initial thought are not mutually exclusive. The circles created by the placement of the letters are indeed a form of ASCII art, and as such incredibly scientific and regulated.
As for the sentence itself, it almost feels like Stark is lamenting her inability to document one's thought process. However, as everything is done intentionally, so too were the letters put there for a purpose. To me, it screams "circular thinking." Going around and around, repeatedly, with no forseeable end: is that not a representation of a man thinking, if not literary than visually?
One's first impression is that of a metallic chrysanthemum. Look closer and you'll find each little piece of this flower is individually cut and bound together. Not only is this form visually stunning - both the flower itself and the paper it rests on shines/sparkles in the light - but seems to speak of a deeper meaning. In this I read of a segmented person attached to form a whole. Many different pieces make up a whole person, after all.
A Particular Wavelength
I required no time to ponder my thoughts on this installation: I knew immediately what image it invoked in my mind, and the variety of meanings behind it. Right off the bat, I saw a similarity in the format of this piece and the computer process of defragmentation, a process that attempts to free up space by compacting files and reduce fragmenting. So we start with the concept of organization and reduction in scattered thoughts, but this artwork holds more than just that.
Stepping a bit closer reveals many rows of yellow icons - a representation of a piece of paper with a "w" overlaid. I have desaturated the photo to allow a clearer view of the icon.
Combining the idea of a desire for more, free space with icons upon icons of what is almost a representation of a Microsoft Word document, results in a powerful interpretation: there have been many a false start, and it has come time to start to erase and overwrite these dead-ends - to begin anew.
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Grace Cavalieri
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