ART MUSEUM
October 24 - November 7, 2003
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THE WATER TOWER ART MUSEUM October 24 - November 7, 2003 |
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pUSHINGtHEbOX is a participatory performance/installation that explores issues of work and identity, creativity and mechanization. To accomplish this,
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artists converted The Water Tower Art Museum into an art-making machine. Examination of work conditions were met by creating a factory in which the Louisville Community could experiment with different artistic media. The site-specific installation utilized the architectural beauty of the Water Tower to create a harmonious production lab in the Percy Brown Grand Hall. Sensitive to the time and space of the exhibition, many aesthetic decisions were made while installing the show. Contrary to our original notions that the factory would appear old and worn down, the ultimate effect was bright, slick, and futuristic. Audience/participants became “employees” of the machine as they entered the museum through the service entrance. They were required to remove their shoes and were asked to dawn protective clothing. In the factory was a video station that was surveying all worker actions. Over the floor was a drawing machine with which the audience eventually created a unifying floor mural. An intricate Web of nylon thread and mechanical scraps donated by neighboring River City Metal was woven by Organic Computer 121, 212, 121, 213 and Nathan Hayden off of the second floor banisters to connect the machines as a single factory unit. Collaborators, Mary Carothers and Andy Johnson created a zoetrope that required audience members to jog in place to animate a rat running with Muybridge's horse legs (see photo below). Additionally, the Zoetrope created a light and sound extravaganza that carried throughout the exhibition hall. Against the windows on the North Wall stood an was an 8x8’ camera obscura built by Carrie Burr, Chad Henley, & Sean Selby. The audience could enter the body of the camera and view inverted images of the exhibition (see photo right). The Interior of the obscura also captured live images of the Ohio River. The interwoven painting machine by Sharon Scott tested audience ability to paint creatively without direct control of brushes or color choices. Windows were treated with color to throw a mulit-color cast across the various art-making machines. Multi-color lightboxes boxes were pushed throughout the gallery for the transportation and observation of artwork. Sounds made from the percussive music station (including oil drums donated by Allied Drum of Louisville) were amplified in the factory. The Privacy Box by Rebecca Norton allowed space for one audience member at a time to enter and manipulate a plaster-cast human sculpture. Opening night was accented with a fire performance. |
 Images from 8' x 8' camera obscura (inverted) |
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 Zoe the Zoetrope by Carothers & Johnson |
 Gallery 01081 |
 Factory Uniform |
CREW Conceptual Design: Carrie Burr & Sharon Scott Webvision: Organic Computer 121,212,121,213 & Nathan Hayden Zoe the Zoetrope: Mary Carothers & Andy Johnson Camera Obscura: Carrie Burr & Chad Henley Privacy Box: Rebecca Norton Videography: Alex Fergeson-Bell, chief David Flores Jennifer Tishner Wire Sculptor: Kelly Courtney, Fluidikons Photography: Carrie Burr & Nancy Scott Painting: Sharon Scott Muralist/ Graf Art: Devon French Grand Seamstress: Jael Roed, BigFatArtCat Props: Jim & Liz Carter Master Carpenter: Sean Selby Creative Assistant: Sarah Lyon Hot Dog & Art Marketing: Sean Graves & Emily Sauter Security: George Fox Fire Sculptor: Matt Weir Administrators: C.J. Pressma & Paula Cundif |
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ARTIST LINKS: | ||||||
 Mary Carothers |
 Sharon Scott |
 Rebecca Norton |
 Sean Selby |