Page 78 - Studio International - January February 1975
P. 78

spectators enter finding                               continuous back projection slide   `RAW', its cables falling down to
     themselves in a completely white,                      display, few photographs and   a rather noisy transformer. A
     tapering, 35 feet long corridor.   Duiker              pages from the previously   superb drawing WAR (Study for a
     This leads to an adjoining totally                     mentioned book. The display is   neon object) dating from 1968
     black corridor which back-tracks   Exhibition          designed on a formal arrangement   and illustrated in the 1972-3
     the first, then turns at right angles                  of smooth silvery panels standing   Los Angeles catalogue, shows the
     and inclines and tapers for 75 feet   at the           on a cerulean blue base, so elegant   stark sequence, and is annotated :
     until it meets a narrow, acute-   Van Abbemuseum       that it somewhat conflicts with the   'sign to hang whenever war is on'
     angled part which slopes towards                       elemental quality of the    and 'this size up to six feet long' —
     a small, white, lit room at the end.                   architecture it is displaying.   here it is 7½ inches. Opposite, the
      A fluorescent tape on the black   In 1970 the Dutch architect Jan   It is, however, very good to   red script of none sing cast a soft
     corridor walls will be the only clue   Duiker was honoured 35 years   know this exhibition will be   glow on the wall behind,
     to spatial recognition except for   after his death by being awarded   brought to the A.A. this autumn,   contrasting in flag-like division
     the spill-over of light from the   posthumously the annual cultural   even if just as a reminder   with the bright white words
     white room which not only   prize of the city of Hilversum.   of the importance of Duiker.   'neon sign' which hung below.
     identifies the final destination but   This prize signifies more than it   More effective though would be   The colours of these three works
     also seemingly attenuates both   would at first appear. Although   to have a full translation of   are radiantly responsive to their
     space and time. The spectators   well known to architects and to   the book in English and for it   individual contexts. WAR is an
     then enter the theatre which will   all interested in the history of the   to be circulated widely.   orange flare exploding in a
     be a complete structure made   modern movement Duiker was by       Christopher Dean   rectilinear aura. The blue of
     with inter-changeable       no means an internationally                            Mystic Truths forms a gentle
     components.                 recognized figure. Some of his                         spiral path with peach highlight,
                                 works were published by le                             stable and self-referential.
                                 Corbusier in L'architecture Vivant   UK                None sing/neon sign provides in its
           STRUCTURED THEATRE
                                 but were not widely known                              red and white stripes a visual
                                 beyond a relatively small circle.   Reviews            counterpart to the anagrammatic
                                 Certainly, he was not recognized                       sentence and phrase which it
                                 as universally as Reitveld or                          syntactically comprises.
                                 Dudok, but his legacy is probably   BRUCE NAUMAN         From the hum and buzz of the
                                 more powerful than the former   Opening the P.M.J. Self Gallery,   first floor gallery one climbed
                                 and quite outshines the latter.   London.              to the second, being met at the
                                   Duiker was trained at the Delft   November.          half landing by a tapping as if a
                                 School for engineer-architects.   At the time of Nauman's first   table tennis game was in progress
                                 He was not so much concerned   Castelli one-man show 1967-8   round the corner, but what met
                                 with neo-plasticism and other   the neon works of Antonakis   the eye was a monitor and the
                                 current vogues of the early   and Chryssa were very much in   only visible part of the 1970
                                 modern movement, as with direct   evidence, but a more different   Surveillance Piece (Sealed Room/
                                 building technology and the   approach in one medium could   Public Room), originally conceived
                                 liberation of space by      hardly be imagined. Kosuth,   for London, Ontario. The single,
                                 straightforward constructional   Apple and others were also   still image on the screen showed a
                                 techniques. His use of trebiated   producing neon works but   (not immediately identifiable)
          GRAPHIC WORKING STRUCTURE  OF SCRIPT
                                 structure in place of mass load   nothing approaching the   tape-deck in the middle of an
                                 bearing forms was a powerful   startling Neon templates of the   otherwise empty room, with its
       The primary action-point is the   indicator of the new 'esprit' of   left half of my body taken at ten   power cable following the
     theatre itself Unit (1) Within   architecture, with which le   inch intervals (1966) one of the   diagonal to the bottom left
     this, five individual space units   Corbusier readily identified. The   first Naumans to be seen in   corner of the screen and out of
     operate, one of which is elevated.   clearest statements of his   Britain at the 'When Attitudes   the picture. The sound came from
     Four suspended, coloured ropes   structural philosophy were the   become form' exhibition.
     will provide a physical link   sanatorium `Zonnestraal' at   Furthermore, to compare the
     between the space units.    Hilversum 1926-28, and the   effect of that work with the
       Sound will introduce the   'Open Air' school at Amsterdam   Naumans to be seen at Robert
     performance, giving the spectators   1928-30.           Self's new gallery in Haunch of
     a feeling of space which will   Parallel with the presentation   Venison Yard, only serves to
     remain undefined until — or even   of the Hilversum prize to   point out the amazing quality
     after — the action points,   Duiker's relatives the Dutch   and originality of his variform
     identified variously by     magazine Forum devoted two   points of view. It is a great pity
     structures of light, colour and   special issues (vol. XXII nos. 5   that the many inroads into
     sound, come into play.      and 6) to a comprehensive   traditional sculptural approaches
       The Intriguer (4) makes his   catalogue of Duiker's works and a   that Nauman has made could not   Bruce Nauman, neon, 1968
     individual audio/physical space   collection of personal statements   be more fully brought out here,   beyond the wall in another room,
     unit. Actress (1) creates her focus   and letters. These numbers of the   but the selection identified the   access to which had been sealed;
     in response (or not) to Intriguer   magazine were prepared by E. J.   pregnant areas of his concerns   only with the aid of Nauman's
     (4) Dancer (2) is the Fantasy of   Jelles and C. A. Alberts, who also   succinctly in a cogent group of   working drawing diagram and a
     Actress (1) Painter (5) re-  instigated an exhibition of   three neon works, a drawing and   photostat of written notes by him
     structures Unit (1) if and when   Duiker's work designed to travel   an installation, on display for all   are the piece's constituent parts
     necessary. Dancer (3) is    to various centres. For the   too short a time.        and the subtlety of the
     continually moving his focus,   exhibition the two numbers of the   The first floor gallery showed   installation gradually revealed.
     both bodily and spatially inter-  magazine were reprinted in a   three immaculately hung neon   Nauman writes: 'The sound is
     acting with all and they with him.   single volume and act as a   pieces, each given a separate wall,   made by clapping on my thighs,
     His mobility is his focus, in   definitive work, and they are also   the fourth, empty, providing a   palms twice, then back of hands
     contrast to the others who remain   the catalogue to the exhibition.   useful viewing point. The 1967   twice, etc.' (The tape loop was
     contained and it is he who   The Van Abbemuseum at      Window or Wall Sign reading   made in his studio and refers
     provides the link between them.   Eindhoven is dedicated to the   `The true artist helps the world   furthermore to other performances
       The evening performance   presentation of modern and avant   by revealing mystic truths'   and videos made there). 'The
     provides the foundation for the   garde art. In a relatively small   appears as a soft baby-blue cooly   volume should be loud enough so
     daytime innovations. The    public gallery it is wonderful to   juxtaposed with an under/   that the clapping is just audible
     spectators during the day   see exciting material so elegantly   overlining vibrant peach. In its   through the wall of the sealed
     will experience the actual   shown. (Recently there has been   spiral form it is strangely peaceful   room.'
     re-structuring process while the   shown an excellent exhibition of   and meditative, yet like the others,   An extraordinary visual pun,
     evening audience will experience   Cortier and de Keyser and the   its wires, transformer box, and   the installation has the effect
     the re-structured performance   `Art Information Centre' show of   manner of construction are all   Nauman has described, often
     'in toto'. Photography will serve   Peter van Beveren was of great   openly visible. The two other   quoted, of the moment when
     as an essential factor in recording   imagination and interest).   pieces on walls on either side   walking down or upstairs in the
     the creation and production of   It is therefore with some   intruded in their particular way   dark, one takes an extra step
     the project. This documentation,   disappointment that one has to   on the periphery of the   when already at the top or
     as are the photographs in this   say that the recent small Duiker   spectator's vision. On the right   bottom: a sudden start and
     article, will be by Conrad   exhibition did not measure up   Raw/War (1970) was in crisp   momentary nudge into another
     Hafenrichter.               to expectations; only two   double orange capitals and   realm of experience. The only
                    Allen Barker   drawings (blue prints), a    inexorably blinked 'R' ... 'A' 	.    link in the 'sequence', neither
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