Event 3: This Is The End- “Even Pricks” by Ed Atkins, Hammer Museum

I visited the This Is The End exhibition at the Hammer Museum, which is comprised of 3 videos made by 3 different international artists. While every video is different, all share common themes of “trauma, melancholy, surrealism and the uncanny” (Hammer Museum handout). Each video was available to watch on different dates. The day I went to visit, “Even Pricks” by Ed Atkins was playing.

Ed Atkins created a video that hardly makes any literal sense. There appears to be no storyline, set of meaningful characters or a central theme. There is no rhythm or sequential sense of images and scenes in the video; the majority of the video includes the starting and stopping of short clips. The images portrayed are unrealistic, unpredictable and sometimes uncalled for. However, Atkins intends to do this to his viewers. The intended theme of the video is physical and psychological depression.

Atkins uses several recurring sounds and pictures to portray the intended message. The viewer often hears gunshots, hands clapping, fingers snapping, someone yelling bits of vulgar language and other loud special effects that are unidentifiable and unsettling. A monkey and a thumb are frequently shown on screen between different clips. Perhaps these sounds and images highlight the inconsistency of depression diagnosis or research. However, the video appears to lack any real sense of meaning connected to depression.

“Even Pricks” is a highly-rendered art piece for a few reasons. First, Atkins used computer-generated imagery to create these unsettling images. The images are highly unusual but seem more real thanks to the special effects. Second, Atkins uses the video to bring attention and awareness to depression. His creativity is expressed through dramatic pauses, hyperrealistic imagery and computer-generated effects. While this video is very different than other exhibitions, I do not recommend this exhibition to other students because the video was unsatisfying and hard to follow.

Event 2: Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio, Hammer Museum

After visiting the first exhibition of Sundaram at the Fowler Museum, I had the opportunity to experience another first at the Hammer Museum. Thomas Heatherwick’s Provocations: The Architecture and Design of Heatherwick Studio was on display for the first time in North America. The London-based studio prides themselves on inventive thinking and the lack of a specific style among all their works. Heatherwick Studio produces art anywhere from small scale consumer products to furniture to public sculptures to major architectural designs.



After catching a glimpse of this chair among other exhibit items, I was immediately intrigued. Titled “Spun” (2007-11), the chair is composed of foam, plywood, MDF, metal and plasticine to form a comfortable and unique seating option. Heatherwick Studios wanted to make a plastic chair with symmetrical rotational form the same way you metal spin. Thomas Heatherwick took the tool he learned from a silversmith at London’s Royal College of Art to create this piece of furniture.



The chairs were on display in the courtyard for the public to test out. They were quite fun!



However, it was the architectural masterpieces that were awe striking. I was extremely impressed some of the design and detail of the buildings. It is here where their knack for combining inventive thinking, elite engineering, efficiency and clever use of materials makes their product shine above other architecture. While I had several favorites, the “UK Pavilion” set itself apart because the structure won the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. At the expo, countries compete to build a piece of architecture that best represents their nation. Thanks to Heatherwick Studios, the UK won by using 66,000 acrylic rods to make an eco-friendly illuminated building that reflected the famous outdoor parks in the UK.

It is the combination of smart, savvy and stunning art that makes this exhibition elite. The exhibition is now closed. But if there comes another time to see Provocations, I highly recommend that other people visit!

Event 1: Making Strange, UCLA Fowler Museum

I visited the Making Strange exhibit at the UCLA Fowler Museum, which shows the work of Vivian Sundaram. Sundaram is considered the one of the most popular multimedia artists in India today. His work in Making Strange consists of two different projects: Gagawaka and Postmortem. Gagawaka includes twenty seven pieces made of recycled materials and medical supplies such as ace bandages, paper cups and sponges (seen below). Postmortem is a collection of mannequins, dummies and other wooden pieces that portray a haunting message about the field of medicine and health.




A couple of my favorite pieces included medical support pieces. As an athlete, I appreciated these sculptures because I use orthopedic supports everyday to play my sport; Sundaram used these everyday materials to create something beautiful and unique. On the right is the “Pinafore” (2011) and on the left is the “YSL” (2011). Both mannequins are adorned with lycra orthopedic supports and act as a representation of distorted body image.

His work is not simply about beauty and materials. He uses the power of art to communicate messages and to require people to think about the world. Some of the messages he is trying to communicate include the definition of beauty, how human bodies are perceived, mental health and illness, as well as life and death. For this reason, Sundaram is not only an artist but also a political activist.

I would absolutely recommend that other students visit Making Strange. Interestingly enough, Sundaram has never had a solo exhibition anywhere! The UCLA Fowler Museum is the first museum to ever pick up his work and put it on display. This makes for a special experience as a UCLA student. The everyday, and otherwise boring, materials that Sundaram uses makes extremely unique pieces and a colorful exhibit. Go see it!