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4 a.m. Manifesto

May 27th, 2009 · 3 Comments

Ilene Sunshine working on Bodegas Ysios by Santiago Calatrava in Laguardia, Álava (Spain)-Photographer: Nelson Taapken

A is for alba, currently on view at Wave Hill, is Ilene Sunshine‘s most recent magical site-specific installation. There has been a significant transformation in the way viewers experience this installation, since its opening in March and the seasonal change in the surrounding landscape.

Similar to Santiago Calatrava who rises at 4 a.m., Sunshine is one of those innovative thinkers whose routine is to be up around 4 a.m. to go to her studio. Earlier in her career Octavia Butler was up by 2:00 a.m. every morning so she could write before going to her job working as an office janitor. There is something heroic about the act of being up so early in the morning to pour oneself over an artistic pursuit that may or may not crystallize in a tangible form. What triggers these restless individuals to be so disciplined?

In the case of Sunshine, her ongoing exploration in forming a whole new sculptural language is what fuels her unrelenting dedication. She continues to probe into the possibilities of hybrid and green constructions with her unique choice of organic and man-made found materials.

Tom Wolfe, in his book The Painted Word, mentions a conceptual artist who gets up at 4 in the morning with an intense craving for a piece of toast as she goes on to describe the visualization process of picturing the toast in great detail.

The notion of early riser artists is in direct conflict with the cliche image of artists who stay up through late night hours. In his book Formulas for Now, Hans Ulrich Obrist has compiled his favorite formulas concocted by some of the most original thinkers. Design a formula for the 21st century was the criteria, and the gamut ran from diagrams to manuscripts, manifestos and recipes.

Individual artists who consistently wake before dawn and are becoming exceedingly influential in their extraordinary pursuits, might be too busy to subscribe to the limitations of any manifestos.

Tags: Arkitektur · Books · Contemporary Art · Exhibitions · Installation · Sculpture · Strategy

3 responses so far ↓

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