#85
03.26.10
Photo
Mass (Colder, Darker Matter), 1997
Cornelia Parker
Burnt wood, wire, string
Phoenix Museum of Art
{From the placard for the piece in the museum} This installation is constructed from the charred remains of a Texas church that was struck by lightning. The London-based artist conceived of and created the work while resident at ArtPace in San Antonio. Featured in the 1997 Turner Prize Exhibition at the Tate Gallery (London), the work was described in the exhibition brochure as "chunks and splinters of charcoal suspended from the ceiling to form the illusion of a cube, dense at the center, thinning at the edges. It appears at once flat and three dimensional, but never solid, almost disintegrating before our eyes."
The title, in part, refers to the scientific term "cold dark matter" used to describe the unquantifiable in the universe. "Mass" suggests not only a spiritual gathering, but also the solids and voids that are basic elements of sculpture. The artist also thinks of this work as a charcoal drawing, or an abstract painting against a white background.
If I only spent 45 minutes staring at this piece, (when I first saw it in 2007 I stared at it for at least 30 minutes), than I am deeply ashamed for not having spent triple that. It remains one of the finest pieces of art, from conception to execution, that I have ever seen.
Thank you, Cornelia Parker. You have demonstrated definitively what we already know; acts of destruction are also acts of creation, given proper perspective and effort.
Happiness from tragedy.
Order from chaos, even.
So nice.
Music
Fake Empire - The National
