Page 54 - Studio International - March 1970
P. 54

New York                                   The sense of isolation is perhaps even more   the aesthetic experience. By cutting drastically
                                               stunning in Larry Bell's space, which for most   into the wholeness of human experience and
                                                                                          isolating one facet, they contribute to the
     commentary                                 viewers was more like a dark tunnel than a   general problem of addiction, instability arid
                                                room. Although there were said to be panels
                                               of vacuum-coated glass in the room, I found   passiveness. All the clichés about alienated
     They say that subjects in sensory deprivation   only a long wall along which I groped my way   man seem to have been lodged in the minds
     experiments occasionally become addicted to   to the end and back, knowing only the half-  of those we now call artists. The freedom of
     deprivation. Lying in a tank of warm water,   pleasant trepidation that spelunkers must   action suggested as the perfect human order
     gently rocked, it is quite possible to become   know. This temporary disorientation for   by Claude Bernard is forcibly reduced in
     indifferent to the chaos of existence, and,   people who are visually active (or I should   these and countless other experiments we
     after a long period, become a thrall to the   say,  more  visually active, since vision is in-  have had the mild pleasure of experiencing
     repetitive hallucinations such experience   disputably the queen of the senses) has a   in the name of art.
     induces.                                  mildly novel physiological effect. If one had   The complexity of the Pulsa group's offering
     It remains to be seen how far such addiction   never been immersed; were never in a dark   puts it into another category. Years ago Billy
     will go in the literally dizzying events New   tunnel; never underwater; or even, never in a   Kluver used to ground his argument for art
     York has seen this season. The latest is the   funhouse, it would be an important experi-  married to technology on the appealing
     MUSEUM OF MODERN ART'S 'Spaces' exhibition   ence.                                   example of Chinese fireworks. They were
     in which five individual artists and one   Asher's room was white while Bell's was   technological, ephemeral and artistic, and
     artists' collaborative have set up sensory   black, and both had almost—but not quite—  gave visual pleasure. The Pulsa group's gar-
     experiments that could serve the scientific   eliminated sensory stimuli. Both produced an   den arrangement, with blinking lights, agree-
     community as well as the artistic. In two   effect which is often considered a part of the   able whooshing sounds, and oases of artificial
     `spaces' at least, the conditions are ideal for   so-called aesthetic experience: the surprise of   heat, meet all these requirements. The compli-
     neurophysiological experimentation.       perceptual disorientation. The surprise affects   cated programmed events are governed by
     Michael Asher has established an environ-  individuals differently, I suppose, but prob-  sounds and movements in the garden itself,
     ment in which minimal light and sound     ably everyone experiences some sensation of   as well as changes in weather. If one were not
     stimuli place the subject in a condition of   spatial infinity; some boundless oceanic sensa-  interested in the vast concatenation of know-
     suspension. If he navigates the white obscu-  tion which Jung ascribed to certain kinds of   ledge that can produce such programmes, one
     rity slowly, he may well feel dizziness and   art. These two environmentalists, then, are   could still be enchanted by the flares of
     perceptual disorientation. The thick carpeting   really verifying certain basic assumptions   random light and the irregular rhythm of
     and sound-proofed walls and ceiling make it   about the way we perceive depth, or space.   sounds. The merit of Pulsa's performance is
     impossible for the sensitive subject to respond,   But they have, in their scientific way, with-  in its liveliness, its variety of volatile stimuli,
     as he would normally, while moving through.   held commentary (I mean visual commentary) .   which under certain circumstances could be
     In the abnormality of response he may well   Quite a while ago, Claude Bernard estab-  called similar to the stimuli produced by
     find a small adventure comparable to those   lished that 'la fixité du milieu intérieur est la   theatrical performances such as the ballet.
     reported by explorers stranded in Antartica   condition de la vie libre' — the stability of the   I can't say the same for Robert Morris's
     or at sea. Admiral Byrd who originally    interior milieu is the condition of free   expensive but silly room—an artificially-
     wanted to 'taste peace... quiet and solitude   activity. That stability in the human organism   cooled, moisturized greenhouse in which steel
     long enough to find out how good they really   is the result of a marvellously organized   alleys conduct the viewer through miniature
     are' later felt a deep need for 'stimuli from the   system into which pour countless stimuli. The   mountains of baby spruce trees, with the
     outside world ... sounds, smells, voices, touch'.   free activity of the human organism, including   avowed intention of playing with space
                                               the imagination, is dependent on the variety   experience and perspective, but finally just
                                               of stimuli it receives and governs. Similarly, I   seeming like an extravagance of the kind of
     Eva Hesse Contingent 1969
     Fischbach Gallery, New York               would think that the work of art is dependent   mind that likes to contemplate dioramas and
                                               on the variety of stimuli it can induce, and its   other World's Fair spectaculars. The slight
     2
     Michael Asher Untitled 1969               sensitivity to the thresholds of experience.   surrealism in Morris's thought cannot redeem
     8 ft high x 23 ft wide x 21 ft deep       Asher's and Bell's rooms have nothing to do   the basically literalist effect. I'm sure I'm not
     Acoustical board, speakers, noise generator
     Photograph by Claude Picasso              with art, but only with one possible effect of    the only one whose thoughts turned to the
   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59