1.Research Kapoor's work in order to discuss whether it is conceptual art or not. Explain your answer, using a definition of conceptual art.
In conceptual art the idea or concept is the most important aspect of the work. When an artist uses a conceptual form of art, it means that all of the planning and decisions are made beforehand and the execution is a perfunctory affair. The idea becomes a machine that makes the art. ( LeWitt, s (1967). Paragraphs on Conceptual Art). I think his work is conceptual artwork as it seems that these works would have been designed on a drawing board before being constructed, due to their large scale. The interaction with the viewer who moves to create his own vision gives it a spiritual dimension. There are many underlying themes and ideas behind ‘Cloud Gate’ such as the seamlessness in the shape which creates the never ending illusion, the coming together in one entity, challenges perception by distorting and deforming the surrounding architecture and the fact that it isn’t an actual gate to anywhere it leaves that to your own imagination – as well as many more underlying ideas. The design itself wouldn’t throw these ideas at you, whilst initially looking at the structure. But through further analysis the viewer would understand ‘Cloud Gate’ as a conceptualist piece of artwork.
2. Research 3 quite different works by Kapoor from countries outside New Zealand to discuss the ideas behind the work. Include images of each work on your blog.
‘Turning the World Upside Down’
Located in Jerusalem, outside the Israel Museum, the curved form captures in its reflections, the earth and sky, but because of the shape, these are reversed: the top half reflects the ground (the visitors on the plaza), while the lower half reflects the skyline as it is seen around the perimeter of the museum campus. Visually, the reversed reflections of the two halves create a contrast of color and subject matter. The reversal of sky and earth also relates to the spiritual importance of Jerusalem in the Bible.
‘Sky Mirror’
Sky Mirror is located in the Kensington Gardens in London. This sculpture harmonizes with its surroundings and quite literally ‘brings the sky down to the ground’.
Its concave side, angled upward, is made of 23 tones of stainless steel, reflecting an upside-down portrait of the shifting sky around it. The sculpture is freestanding, with polished surfaces that are seamless and uninterrupted. This optical object will change through the day and night and is an example of what Kapoor describes as a "non-object," a sculpture that, despite its monumentality, suggests a window or void and often seems to vanish into its surroundings.
‘Tall tree and the eye’
Locaeted in the Courtyard of the Royal Academy of Arts, London, in 2009, Kapoor has assembled 76 spheres which look as if they are floating upwards into the sky.
At just 15 meters high the sculpture alludes to be taller than the galleries buildings that surround it. The seamless shapes in the design are similar to the shape of ‘Cloud Gate’ and the meanings of endlessness and a never ending distortion. Though it is a very sizeable piece of artwork ‘Tall Tree and Eye’ comes across as weightless structure. By having many sphere shapes it also reminds us of people coming together, especially being in the courtyard of the gallery.
‘Some thing between shit and architecture’
This is one of Kapoors more recent works, completed in 2011, they show a very distinctive difference compared to some of his older works. He has used a machine which pushes out concrete leaving gravity to complete the forms.
All are repellent, primordial and fascinating. ‘The machine carries on inexorably, but the material does its own thing, so the process is unpredictable. This leads to weird and interesting objects that are deeply primitive and go in many different directions – scatological, archaeological, sexual.’ Says Kapoor. It is very interesting that he has gone with a drastically different design technique as I started to get the feeling – swell as he is known for being – a perfectionist. I like the way he so willingly hand over control to an ungovernable machine.
3.Discuss the large scale 'site specific' work that has been installed on a private site in New Zealand.
‘The Farm’ is a sculpture named after the site it is located on. I think it is very interesting that on The Famr the designers can choose any area to work on. Kapoor has nestled the work in a cleft cut into a high ridgeline. With views of the harbour to the west and mountains to the east it is as if he wanted to channel the forces of water, air and rock; and to link the width of the harbour with the height of the hills.
4. Where is the Kapoor's work in New Zealand? What are its form and materials? What are the ideas behind the work?
Location: “The Farm,” located 1,000 acre private estate outdoor art gallery in Kaipara Bay, north of Auckland, New Zealand. “The Farm” is designed to withstand the high winds that blow inland from the Tasman Sea off the northwest coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Fabrics: The sculpture is fabricated in a custom deep red PVC-coated polyester fabric by Ferrari Textiles supported by two identical matching red structural steel ellipses that weigh 42,750kg each. The fabric alone weighs 7,200kg.
Form: The ellipses are orientated one horizontal, the other vertical. Thirty-two longitudinal mono-filament cables provide displacement and deflection resistance to the wind loads while assisting with the fabric transition from horizontal ellipse, to a perfect circle at midspan, through to the vertical ellipse at the other end. The sculpture, which passes through a carefully cut hillside, provides a kaleidoscopic view of the beautiful Kaipara Harbor at the vertical ellipse end and the hand contoured rolling valleys and hills of “The Farm” from the horizontal ellipse.
Ideas: One of the main ideas that I find absolutely out standing is that ‘The Farm’ actually breathes with the wind gusts. The sculpture contracts and expands. I also like how it compliments its environment beautifully.
5. Comment on which work by Kapoor is your favourite, and explain why. Are you personally attracted more by the ideas or the aesthetics of the work?
I absolutely am in love with ‘Turning the World Upside Down’, located in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. I am visually attracted to the simple design of this structure. How it is so simple, yet so effective. I like the way Kapoor plays with nature leaving the structure itself very simple but the ever changing nature of the site makes his works interesting..
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