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Art Fri May 18 2012
Northwestern to Put Art on Ice
On Monday, May 21, Northwestern University's Evanston campus will host a fleeting work of art, erected by students, staff, and faculty and removed by nature. The construction is a recreation of conceptual artist Allan Kaprow's seminal sculpture/performance work, "Fluids," and will entail stacking approximately 375 blocks of ice to build a monumental structure on the Plaza outside the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art at 40 Arts Circle Drive.
Kaprow coined the term, "Happening" to describe an event or situation performed in the name of art. He first conceived of "Fluids" in 1967 and intended it to be staged again by others--creating a shared experience in art through separate happenings. This will mark the first time the project has been reenacted in the Midwest.
The recreation of "Fluids" was inspired by a class taught by Professor Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, a MacArthur Foundation Fellow and internationally renowned artist. The project is more than an art installation, but a demonstration of the ideas of Kaprow, which Manglano-Ovalle says "have forever altered the way we consider the practice and instruction of art." Chief among these is Kaprow's edict, "every man an artist," which is embraced in this single art installation constructed by many.
The building will take place between 1 and 4pm and once the ice structure is completed, students and Block Museum staff will hold a program that includes readings from Kaprow's influential writings on art and every day life. The event is an opportunity for artists and spectators to learn and experience the artistic process.
The creation will be open to the public for as long as it stands. But don't wait too long to visit. Once completed, the ice will be allowed to melt away, which will take anywhere between eight hours to three days, depending on the weather.
For those that can't attend, the Block Museum will be tweeting updates on the construction and dissolution through its Twitter account, @NUBlockMuseum.
