Systems Art

Class Date: March 9th

The simplest way of describing systems art is filling a space with various artist's works. It is not as simple as just putting paintings or sculptures into a museum hall, the actual way in which you fill the space is part of the beauty of systems art. We discussed the work of two systems artists. One of the most famous systems arts gallery is Turbine Hall in London, England. As a viewer enters through the main entrance, they enter an enormous space which makes the viewer feel diminutive. Artists are paid commission to fill this enormous space.

"Sunflower Seed" is one of the many works in Turbine Hall. It was created by Ai Weiwei, a political artist known for anti government feelings portrayed in his works. The actual piece of work is a gigantic number of reproduced over sized sunflower seeds made out of porcelain. The seeds seemingly create an infinite landscape. When the exhibit opened, health concerns became a problem as the constant grinding of the seeds formed a cloud of dust which was deemed unsafe to inhale. Eventually it was decided to not allow guests to walk on the seeds.

Another artist we looked at in detail in this genre was Alan Mcquillan. Alan focused his efforts on the art behind mass production of items. He has tried many different types of production of different products. Alan stated whenever he designed projects he was always thinking about how to show other people on how to mass produce it. One example is him discovering mkany new ways to design and create cookie cutters.