Writer: Gem Barton
Landscape Abbreviated
Nova Jiang
July 8 – August 19, 2012
Wave Hill Sunroom Project Space, Bronx, NY 10471-2899
Landscape Abbreviated is a kinetic maze consisting of rotating modular components, together they form a ‘garden’ and simultaneously a machine. The moving planters contain living moss collected from New York’s pavements, buildings and subway grates. Bringing this live element into the mix creates another dimension to this work, one which connects the city and the artwork, one in which movement and spirit is manifest. The visitor becomes not only spectator but also collaborator, participant and performer. The visitor is you, me and New York.
Full of particles of broken glass, plastic and other detritus, they form a patchwork of unintentional archaeology.
“I am interested in the way that simple interventions can make the experience of space dynamic and unpredictable. The planters are controlled by a software program that continuously generates new maze patterns based on mathematical rules; they rotate to form shifting pathways that encourage visitors to change direction and viewpoints as they move through the space. I envision this sculpture not as a classical labyrinth built to ensnare, but rather as an architectural abbreviation of grand ideas. In this way, the maze relates to literature, mathematical beauty, game play and the rigor of software programming, as much as it does to architecture and landscape.” Nova Jiang.
Curator: Gabriel de Guzman
Commission: Wave Hill Sunroom Project Space
Special Thanks: Jacob Tonski & Greg Witt
Software: Olov Sundstrom
Photo Credits: Raymond Yeung
Sound: Maria Chavez
