"Schwitters wrote of a 'contemplative immersion of the self in art', in which the individual would experience release from 'life, from all things that disturb mankind'". The first known artwork to be made in the enchantment-type installation was Merzbau (1919-1937) by Dadaist Kurt Schwitters; with each wall covered in materials produced from different sources and the mimicking of a film set, came a personal meaning through the application of iconographic forms, enveloping the viewer completely. Through this work, Schwitters wanted to demonstrate a different psychological aspect that he thought single works were in lack of, creating an immense environment of possibilities with his installation technique. The architectural elements of Merzbau would later develop an important aspect of installation. Installation artist, Ilya Kabakov, describes the enchantment as a strong level of "falsity ... artificiality ... deceit,". Absorbing the mind, the enchantment allows one who walks into an environment to experience a growth of disbelief, cultural familiarity, literary and psychological possibilities; giving a sense of a sharpened reality and a peek into the artist's mind. In the structural setting, enchantments seldom relate to the architectural space in which they are installed. In the 1920s, installation work was in a prolific stance. An abundance of experimentation increased at the Bauhaus and by the De Stijl group in Holland. Their installations called for a switch between different artists' of various media in a collaborative project. In particular, The First International Dada Fair in Berlin (1920) included an unkempt, floor-to-ceiling ambience of objects, with a political tone and a violently anti-aesthetic statement, the art overtook a new purpose. Marcel Duchamp created an installation in which he hung up twelve hundred sacks of coal from above, with leaves and a brazier on the ground; not only comprised of his own work, but also of the paintings hung up by other artists in the space provided. A year after, Salvador Dali created a highly theatrical installation entitled Dream of Venus. This, along with Merzbau, established the stage for all following enchantments, adorned with a perplexing overtone in surreality. The next example of enchantment was the opening of Disneyland (1995), though not found in an art context, the viewer is left with a transforming experience as Walt Disney describes "here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy". This lead to a more wider use of the tableaux formation; with elements of a walk-in environment creating a worldly aura, theatrical in the most fundamental sense. In close relation, video installations follow the model of the enchantment, captivating the viewer in a different realm. With poetic implications and a sense of entering a world apart from the external world, the enchantment, though initially presented in one space, can be moved to another location with ease.
No comments:
Post a Comment