Introduction
The tilted arc was a public art that was commissioned in 1979, to grace and occupy the open space that spanned the compound of the Javits Federal Building. The sculpture was made of steel and was designed and implemented by one of the renowned artists at the time, Richard Serra. Made of corten steel, the sculpture stood 12 feet high, 120 feet long with a width of about 2.5 inches. Due to the length of the sculpture, it blocked the pathways of people and employees working at the building. This attracted a considerable controversy of the work that led to litigation and subsequent removal of the piece from the location for storage in 1989. The main reason for its storage was the fact that the sculptor identified this piece as a site specific work (Hawkins, 99). In this paper, the relation of a piece of art work to its geography has been used to define the thesis and subject of discussion but much focus is given to the twisted arch as a particular case study to dive the points in this essay.
Thesis: the design concept applied in a piece of work makes it solely fitting for placement in specific geographical locations.
This implies that artists make specific artworks that are designed for placement at specific locations that convey specific information. The locations are also selected specifically for visibility and aesthetic beauty.
Discussion
During the litigations that led to the removal of the sculpture in 1989, the artist Serra, description of the piece caught the eye of many. The artists stated that right from inception and design the intention artwork was not to be moved from the original intended site. The specifics of the system that included the dimensions, and scale were intertwined with the topography and landscape of the location to remodel the concept and perception of the location. Due to this remodeling, it would be difficult to move the artwork to another location (Hawkins, 100). In this school of thought, what informs this selection is the design principle and method. The artist applied a minimalist approach in coming up with the artwork. Some studies have classified this design approach as a construction tool (Obendorf, 306). To put this into context, the design approach can be a tool that constructs totally new structures from existing buildings or spaces in which they are erected.
Upon commission, the designer then moves to make complex regressions about the site so as to include artwork on the location provided. All the different aspects of the process have to work right from design and creation (Ambrose et al. 2009). For example, a designer of a public art like the tilted arc, not only has to consider the general aspect of space but at specific level the components of that environment that the art will be placed. In this way the designer not only comes up with the structural design but the aesthetics and the possible harmony with the surrounding.
The history of minimalism can be traced back to the period of 1960 to early 1970. The reason for its introduction was to create simple yet elegant pieces of art that were also modern looking. Earlier minimalists described this design methodology as a situation in which the three components of art that is the viewer, space and object come together in specific orientation. The intention of the artist at this time is to create an active viewership in the audience (Hawkins, 99). The choice of material for this sculpture could be the main example that is illustrates this idea. Corten steel that is not painted, in the open environment will naturally rust to give the metal a natural easily blending rust like color. Other structures that have used this simplistic design approach in the blending naturalizing with the environment and location is the corten steel fulcrum designed in 1978 by the same artist. In this case, the natural environment of the statue coalesces with the environment to derive a degree of uniformity and aesthetic beauty that cannot be achieved when the structure is moved to other places.
The use of color in art varies by the intention of the artists. While some may choose to remain within the conventional colors accepted for the type of drawing and the theme of scene being depicted. However, other artist might consider items like contrast in defining locations and pictorial view of places or even the theme (Mueller, 148). Pictorial representations show the arc in sharp contrast with the white buildings in the background. This creates a romantic beauty of the scene to the audience. The impact of this romantic beauty is the creation of an active viewership that develops a signature of the location as envisioned by the artist. The end result still remains the inability to replicate this scene elsewhere and subsequently the inability to relocate the art work.
In architectural design, the implementation of minimalism can take many forms. The usability of the structure that is designed and the future optimization of the item is the focus in this approach. Other approaches that are used in minimalism is achieved through growth and ageing of the applications of architectural devices (Obendorf, 308). In this case, the modernity of the device increases with time as it is reduced in complexity. The minimalism of the device in this view could make it fit specific location and achieve specific use.
There has been a growing criticism of this ideology that there cannot be such thing as a piece of art not being able to be relocated to other locations especially in cases where those pieces are indoors. The general assumption of the critics is that such works that cannot be transferred exist in the outdoor in general. Further, the critics believe that the need to reorganize the space in which a piece of art is displayed is what makes minimalism in design not applicable in transforming the interiors spaces. To answer to the critics in this case, first the display of artwork that in the white boxes at galleries and the recreation of the space other than the artifact creating the scene is for purposes of preserving the structural integrity of the artwork and for purposes of universal viewing (Hawkins 100). Secondly art works that are not displayed in the gallery but are at other locations within buildings do not require the remodeling of the location. A perfect example is the paintings in the Sistine chapel in Rome. The impressive pattern created by this view needs no modification to the chapel, but is impossible to transfer this pattern to other places. Therefore the arguments against the minimalism and transformation of places on the basis of indoor spaces are inaccurate and presumably located along the school of thought of geographical landscaping.
Finally, the impact of this litigation and the subsequent removal of the structure from its location is very detrimental to the entire work of an artist. Some study in to the other works by Serra showed the lack of interest in the location or material used in the work (Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 53/54: Spring and Autum, 2008). In this study, the toruses, spheres, torqued ellipses and torqued spirals that were produce from 1992 are the focus of debate. The study believes that the integrity of materials used or the specific details of the site are not present in some case or available but just as second attributes of the artworks. The debate on the role of the site to the sculptures is also advanced here. The study argues that if a piece of work is properly located, then the audience is in a position to gather as much information. This is arguably present in the artworks made after 1996 or partially possible.
Conclusion
The tilted arc is a perfect example of an artwork that employed minimalistic design method in its development. The concept of minimalism has been applied in various fields and in the field of architecture or art, the subject first developed in around 1960 (Rubin and Scott, 728). The intention of this form of design was to eliminate complexity, increase utility and transform artwork into modernity. This led to several other transformations including the ability of such artwork that were created in this method to create a transformation in design concept and perception of a place. The artworks like the twisted arc that was disputed and removed provided a modification of the environment in which they were placed.
The design of the artworks for specific locations meant that the artist made a connection between the location and the ideas that the artist felt would be creative. This is includes the structural design of the pieces of art and the other aspects like color. To this effect it became very difficult to move these artworks from one location to another. In fact in this case of the tilted arc, due to its size, the transferability of the artwork will be limited to the amount of space available at the next location. It is therefore safe to conclude that the thesis stated above is accurate and artwork that is designed for one location cannot be moved with the same effect on other locations.
An artist knows the specific site for a specific artwork that they produce or make. The artworks are carefully planned and planted by the artists with the aim of ensuring that the objective of the design like aesthetics visibility, site modification and space use are carefully taken into consideration. In a scenario that this is disputed by law or a court case, the confidence and the personal oeuvre of the artist is greatly indented. The result of such is the reduced consideration of these important aspects of artwork. It is therefore important to let the artists freely express themselves without the censorship of any organization (Serra, 1994).
Works cited
Ambrose, Gavin, and Paul Harris. The Fundamentals of Graphic Design. Lausanne: AVA Publishing, 2009. Print.
Mueller, John. Frontpage 2003 All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2004. Internet resource.
Obendorf, Hartmut. Minimalism: Designing Simplicity. Dordrecht: Springer, 2009. Print.
Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics, 53/54: Spring and Autumn 2008. Peabody Museum of Archaeology &, 2008. Print.
Rubin, Joan S, and Scott E. Casper. The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print.
Serra, Richard. Writings, Interviews. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Print
