Tim Hawkinson: Sculptor

I heard a paper recently about the artist, Tim Hawkinson. I really enjoyed hearing about his playful imagination. The paper was given by Biola art prof., Jonathan Anderson. He talked about Hawkinson's football field sized instillation piece, Überorgan. In Hawkinson's interview for Art21, he refers to this instillation as giant bagpipes. These giant bagpipes are made from ordinary materials, such as plastic tubular ducts, fish nets, mylar sheeting, and duct-tape. Hawkinson wanted these bagpipes to really sounds, so he rigged up something of a cross between a light organ (I can't help but think of Scriabin!) and a player piano. He then attached a musical scroll to the "bagpipes" and metal tubing with reeds (similar to organ pipes, hence the name of the piece). This is how the MASS MoCA (who commissioned this wonder piece) website explains how the "light organ" works:

Each sensor gives commands to a reed assembly attached to one of the bags. When a dab on the Mylar roll passes over a photocell, a valve in the corresponding reed assembly opens, forcing air through a 25'-long resonator pipe and producing a fog-horn like blast.

The whole work is a fun play on balloons, bladders, breath, organ pipes, reeds, and music. The music was chosen from familiar songs (e.g., hymns, Swan Lake, pop songs, etc.) and plays very slowly; the music is barely recognizable. Anderson referred to this selection of music as a kind of "Social Imaginary" (from Charles Taylor). It reminded me of a kind of musical score to our social lives, the songs that form us in church, in the concert hall, and at the mall. If you want to hear this "organ," watch the Art21 documentary or  take a listen to the NPR story below to hear this musical sculpture in action.

The Art21 documentary shows children and adults playing and exploring in the middle of this bizarre work. People are laughing, sticking their heads in front of the pipes. I can't help but think that his work invites interaction and a silly kind of participation. It is surreal and otherworldly, yet it evokes something of the everyday because of the music and the material utilized. I love this kind of playful art! I hope to see it someday.

Another of his works that is very theologically playful and provocative is his 2006 work, Pentecost. There are twelve full-sized robotic sculptures (self images of the artist) that are attached to a kind of tree and branches. When people walk up to the work, a light sensor causes the whole piece to go into action. Each of the sculptures starts to tap with various body parts, creating synchronized percussive music. Again, take a listen to the NPR story below to hear this musical sculpture in action.



For more info about Tim Hawkinson's work, please visit these web resources:

Ace Gallery

MASS MoCA

"Tim Hawkinson," Art21, PBS

M.A. Greenstein, "Ecstatic Uselessness: The Weird Tools of Tim Hawkinson," Image Magazine, Vol. 46 

"Tim Hawkinson: Creating Art With Moving Parts," All Things Considered, NPR, August 16, 2005: