Spiral Jetty

The beginning of Spiral Jetty was composed of loud truck noises juxtaposed with quiet trickling water. During this stage the actual artwork was still being constructed and the changes in sound kept me alert. However, once it was finished and the camera was in a helicopter filming the piece in its entirety from the air, there was the constant roar from the chopper wings and wind. It lasted long enough for me to become habitualized to it, and I, in a sense, couldn't even hear it (although the circling and almost upside-down camera angles could have put me into some kind of trance). It came as a shock when the sound stopped -I felt as though the auditorium was super silent. I found this phenomenon interesting, and I am not sure exactly how it relates to the art piece itself except that the spiral is a mesmerizing shape and the background noise of the chopper set a very trance-like mood. At some points I had to look away from the screen because I was getting dizzy. I felt as though the constant roar holds some attachment to the film as a whole, and for me that was a meditation.

Artist Statement

My idea for my table top video came to me during an art class I am taking. We were learning about different art movements of the twentieth century when I heard the name Paul Klee. I learned that Paul Klee was an abstract artist who taught at the famous Bauhaus art school in Germany with fellow artist Wassily Kandinsky. What immediately interested me about Klee was his fascination with the art of children and the insane. If he were alive today he would probably consider the greatest museum to be a parent's refrigerator. This outlook interested me, and led me to think of ways I could incorporate Klee's views into my video. I considered recreating a painting that would mimic a work of Klee's, but immediately realized my attempt would undoubtedly be insulting. Then the idea came to me to recreate a child's innocent painting. The ideal situation would have been to bring an actual child with me and have him or her paint something them self, but unfortunately I had no child at my disposal, so I decided I would just do it myself.
So, the intention of my video was to make a declaration, like Klee did, on the brilliance of children's artwork. It is boundless and completely unhindered. A child doesn't even consider for a second that his painting of his house and stick-figured family doesn't closely resemble the real thing. This to me is beautifully pure and something that deserves my awe.
Although my video would have made much more sense had a real child been painting in it, I was pretty satisfied with the way it turned out. I painted what would most obviously be recognized as a child's painting so I wouldn't confuse anyone. I feel that it was simple, but had depth to it.


Painting at top: Senecio, 1922 by Paul Klee