Tilted Arc was built by Richard Serra in 1981 at the Federal Plaza in New York City. In 1989, it was torn down because of a variety of issues. Some people cited that it was eyesore, some viewed it as wasteful spending, and others cited security reasons. Regardless, the simple sculpture set in a plaza created quite a controversy. Serra argued that Tilted Arc could not be relocated due to the fact that its site was part of the sculpture. Serra argued, “I don’t make portable objects; I don’t make works that can be relocated or site adjusted, I make works that deal with the environmental components of a given space” (Kocur, and Leung, p.331). While the chapter references examples of land art that is inextricably connected to its site, it is hard to support an argument that Tilted Arc could not be moved. The argument was made that the site was a “philosophic convergence of these two models-high modernist architecture and late minimalist sculpture… [and] is a fusion between project and site” (Kocur, and Leung,p.337). While artists create works for specific spaces, it’s hard to believe that one plaza in New York is unlike any other plaza in the city.
Carson’s chapter was a challenging read. She wrote about the Tilted Arc controversy but peppered it with confusing Greek stories that did not add to my understanding of Tilted Arc. The chapter writing seemed to ramble and was not effective in conveying (in plain English) the arguments for or against site specific art. Hopefully, I’ll get a better understanding of her intentions in class and what she was trying to say.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I have always been intrigued by Richard Serra's Titled Arc and the controversy that it caused. Daniel mentioned that "Serra argued that Tilted Arc could not be relocated due to the fact that its site was part of the sculpture." Personally, I wish tilted arc would have been relocated to an extremely bizarre location. Just picture the Titled Arc in the middle of the desert, on a mountain top, or on a beach. I understand Serra's frustration of having to move his work from the Federal Plaza. He created his minimalist sculpture with that particular location in mind. He carefully considered how the people who work in this environment would have to interact with the arc. The people did not enjoy having to walk around the huge piece of metal or wondering if wind would cause the arc to fall and kill them. Richard Serra should have moved the arc to the desert, for sure.
ReplyDelete