Since the weather here in Indiana is kinda nasty right now, instead of complaining, I thought it might be a positive exercise to conjure up some images of far away places I’ve traveled.
The truth is, I really haven’t traveled that much in my life. Part of that has to do with the fact that I’m afraid of flying (like really really afraid.) But, for the sake of ArtBabble, I had the amazing opportunity to visit Los Angeles last May. Fellow Nugget Danny and I documented the whole experience with photos and video. On our trip we met a lot of interesting people and dogs and enjoyed the sunshine, the warm weather, and (Danny especially) fresh tacos.
The reason we traveled was to film on location the construction of Andrea Zittel’s project, a large floating island to be installed in the lake of 100 Acres back in Indy. The island was fabricated by Barnacle Bros studio in East L.A. where upon arrival, we were greeted by a cast of characters led by a heavily tattooed man known as Smilee Barnacle. They brought us up to speed on the project and led us around the work shop, which looked more like a carnival parade storage room than any kind of studio! The interview we did with Smilee turned out to be pretty hilarious:
And here are some pictures I snapped throughout the day. You can find more here.
That's Danny filming Smilee and crew
Shop dog
From the desk of Mr. Barnacle...
The colorful alley behind Barnacle Bros
Danny filming Smilee as he explains what materials were used for the island
There in the middle of the shop sat a snow-white igloo, which on closer inspection was not made of snow, but foam. And even better, it really looked like it would float! Smilee and his team used homemade tools to claw, shave, and mold the foam into a smooth, round shape. I can only imagine the spraying bits of foam as they hacked away at the towering mound of white.
It's snowing in L.A.! (standing in a pile of foam bits)
Here’s an interview we did there with Andrea to get a little more background info on the whole project.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago, when the Barnacle crew brought the island to Indianapolis… only to be greeted by chilly temps and mud in the Art and Nature Park… Indiana at its finest! There was a lot of activity in 100 acres lake that week. Both the island and Eden II are now floating in the lake for all to see.
I felt kind of sorry for Andrea and the Barnacle Bros, wading around in the frigid lake, because their visit to Indy was a cold and damp one. Then again, they get to experience the beautiful California weather all year ‘round. (Special thanks to Smilee, Theresia and the whole Barnacle Bros. crew, Andrea, and the cool cats at The Getty for their kind hospitality.)
It sure was sunny in California but I think I’ll stick with Indiana. I’m kind of partial to the sunsets.
I snapped this photo outside my house a couple months ago
Filed under: Art, Art and Nature Park, Travel
January 21st, 2010 at 11:10 am
Great to hear about your trip, Kate! You should have included a link to the really interesting article your colleague wrote and published on Art21 today, also about Andrea Zittel’s project: http://blog.art21.org/2010/01/21/the-island-in-100-acres-an-interview-with-andrea-zittel/
January 21st, 2010 at 11:19 am
Great article!
January 21st, 2010 at 12:33 pm
The tacos in East L.A. were yummy.
January 22nd, 2010 at 2:39 am
I like this one, esp the sunset picture at the end.
January 22nd, 2010 at 5:54 pm
That is the way to be, ignore the bad weather and think of something better to dwell on, that would help a lot of people in Seattle!
February 4th, 2010 at 6:26 pm
Except for the fact that the island is a kind of “styrofoam” and doesn’t reflect the nature surrounding it, the concept of an artist living on an (floating??) island in the IMA lake (old gravel pit)sounds interesting. However, the concept hasn’t been described completely. Is the “island” floating? the resident gets to it by boat? Does he/she blog while there? Make art? What do “we” get out of it?
February 8th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Kathryn, Did you watch the video interview with Andrea? She explains a little more about the island’s meaning and concept in it. Also, a lot is explained on the IMA website. I tried to focus mainly on my experience during the trip. I’m sure there will be more to come on this project on the IMA blog and ArtBabble.
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