davidjbrownarts

Motion Barn/the Barnstormers/David Ellis

(an installation and a proposal for travelling)

After the Barnstormers successful and multi-pronged exhibition, we knew that the group was ready for a larger stage and went about conceiving just what that might look like. I contacted a number of curators I knew at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), the Aspen Art Museum, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (SF), and the New Museum (NY) and sent each of them an exhibition proposal package. But we had our own questions, anticipating theirs.

Would it even be possible to somewhat replicate the various large-scale works of the original show, especially the movement, building and dismantling of the original barn at each venue, without it costing vast sums. Not impossible, certainly doable, the logistics associated with the moving the original barn and the travel of more than 20 people from the US and Japan to several veneus, just seemed untenable. What might an appropriate option looks like that would echo the group's ambitious efforts?

I asked David Ellis to consdier an alternative and after some back and forth discussion, Motion Barn was born. The idea was to design and build a large barn-like structural frame, covered with rear projection screen material, on which each of the six sides of the Barn (two sections of the roof, and the four sides) would be the canvas for each of the 20+ minute video projections of the Barnstormers four time-lapse 'motion painting' films.

As per my research, the Barnstormers were one of the first groups to use the time-lapse technique in capturing some of their painting activities. Here's how it worked: Through a camera mounted in a fixed position, either on the ceiling above or in some cases, on a tripod, 1 image was recorded every 7 seconds onto a hard drive on a computer, when one or two of the group members were painting. The artists would paint these huge, graphically arresting image/shapes/motiffs, covering large swaths of the floor. The next person/s would completely cover up what had previously occured, and start fresh, and then the next would do the same. Each artist or duo's work existed only for a short duration physically, but was documented digitally. Each film captured the entire painting sequences. Some of the painting 'actions' took place over weeks/months. Anytime someone was painting, the camera clicked away. Most of these films (No Condition Is Permanent, Letter To the President, Apostrophe, and Watching Paint Dry, along with 360 degrees (that chronicled the project we did, can be accessed HERE). Ellis had the films reformatted for Motion Barn to fit each plane of the building. We installed 6 video projectors where they needed to be to accurately focus and frame each of the films. With the films and projectors running, nothing was static. Everything moved, swirled, mutated.

A door allowed visitors to enter the structure and be surrounded by the film projections. As with the original Barnstormers exhibition, a vast musical playlist accompanied the structure. Upon entering you were engulfed in a vivid three-dimensional magical realism dreamworld, with flowing images and scurrying artists appearing and disappearing every second.

Unfortunately, the show didn't travel but I am still convinced that if it had, this multi-talented collective would received the critical acclaim and attention that they deserved.