Art All Around Us
University of Texas campus serves as canvas for radical thinker Sol LeWitt
Editor's note: CultureMap is proud to present the second installment in our partnership with KLRU Collective. Collective is dedicated to finding unique, creative and interesting stories about the Austin art scene.
A pioneer of minimal and conceptual art, Sol LeWitt referred to his art as structures, not sculptures. The "concept" generated the art, not necessarily the artist's hands.
"It's really about the idea," says Andrée Bober, director of Landmarks Public Art Program at the University of Texas at Austin, in the video above. "It has nothing to do with the application of the hands. And the art, [LeWitt] says, lies in those instructions. It lies in thinking about what the art should be."
The late conceptual artist has been compared to a classical composer who created a composition to be performed by many orchestras at different times and places. Now, on the UT campus, Landmarks has realized two LeWitt installations: Circle With Towers and Wall Drawing #520.
Circle With Towers is a structure comprising eight concrete towers, which serve as a gathering place and meeting ground. "[LeWitt] didn't want any kind of barrier to exist between the people who are engaging with it and the art itself," Bober says.
This October, Landmarks will also unveil Skyspace by James Turrell, who uses light and space to create art. We'll meet with Landmarks again this fall to document the serene experience.
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