Artist Research Project: Ann Hamilton

“One doesn’t arrive — in words or in art — by necessarily knowing where one is going. In every work of art, something appears that does not previously exist, and so, by default, you work from what you know to what you don’t know. — You have to be open to all possibilities and to all routes — circuitous or otherwise.” -Ann Hamilton

Wise words from the sculptor Ann Hamilton. Much like her writing, her art brings strong and intellectual statements to the art world.  Take a look at the installation she did in Philadelphia at the Fabric Workshop and Museum. This installation was called Habitus and it was a multimedia, interactive set of pieces dedicated to the history of fabric and clothing. Though there were many layers to this installation the part that stuck out to me the most were these giant stips of fabric layered on metal hoops and suspended from the ceiling. Thick ropes hung suspended around the hoops and when you pulled on these ropes they made the hoops of fabric spin. Creating a hauntingly beautiful effect.

This isn’t the only time she’s used fabric in an immense way.  In Ann’s New York Installation called Event of a Thread, we see fabric used in a very similar way. A large white sheet of fabric is draped across the middle of the hall in Park Avenue Armory. Twenty-one swings hang on each side of the sheet. When members of the audience swing on these swings, it causes part of the colossal sheet to move up and down. Creating this beautiful swaying motion.

This idea of taking fabric and using it in such a grand and interactive way is really what draws me to Ann Hamilton. She is not simply draping a clothe in a hall to convey her ideology’s. She’s forcing the audience to directly interact with the piece to fully experience it. In a lot of ways, its this experience that is the art itself. It releases the art from its normal restrictions allowing its aura to be experienced to the fullest extent.

Another thing that really impresses me about her work is not only her ability to have the audience be a part of her piece but also the space her art is exhibited in. In a review on   Event of a Thread by Sculpture magazine, they comment on Ann’s ability to create a piece that is not overpowered by Park Avenue Armory’s industrial beauty. Which can be a common challenge of exhibiting in the space. I would take it one step further though, it’s not that she managed to create a piece strong enough to work in the hall. It’s that she has used the hall and its established aura as a part of her piece. The juxtaposition that is accomplished through the industrial setting and the light flowing white fabric adds a whole nother element to the piece.  

This is really only scratching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Ann Hamilton’s work and the complex ideas behind each piece. Even so, just looking at these two parts of larger installations shows the uniqueness of her work and the important boundaries of the art world we must continue to break.

Works Cited

Becky, Huff Hunter. “Philidelphia: Ann Hamilton – Fabric Workshop and Museum.” Sculpture, vol. 36, no. 5, June 2017. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aft&AN=122793807&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. 

Castro, Jan Garden. “Acts of Finding: A Conversation with Ann Hamilton.” Sculpture, Jan.-Feb. 2010. International S, www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag10/janfeb_10/ham/ham.shtml. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. 

Cembalest, Robin. “Remixing Romare Bearden.” ARTNEWS, 8 Jan. 2013. ARTNEWS, www.artnews.com/2013/01/08/remixing-romare-bearden/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. 

The Editors of ARTNEWS. “NEWS John Baldessari, Meredith Monk Will Receive National Medals of Arts at the White House.” ARTNEWS, 3 Sept. 2015. ARTNEWS, www.artnews.com/2015/09/03/john-baldessari-meredith-monk-will-receive-national-medals-of-arts-at-the-white-house/. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. 

Michaël, Amy. “New York – Ann Hamilton: Park Avenue Armory.” Sculpture, vol. 32, no. 9, Nov. 2013. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aft&AN=90534362&site=ehost-live&authtype=sso&custid=plymouth. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.