“We suffocate under words, images, and sounds, which have no reason to exist, they come from the void and go towards the void. A truly worthy artist should be asked for nothing but this act of sincerity: to educate himself to silence.” – from Frederico Fellini’s 8 1/2
This piece in the Hugh Lane Gallery was created by Dublin-based artist and curator Gavin Murphy and designed by Oran Day in 2010. Perhaps my favorite part of this piece is the way it’s arranged – words run left to right in each row, going down the wall, in order of the sentence. It can become a new sentence, though, a new thought, depending on the way you’re looking at the artwork. Additionally, by making the piece out of laser-cut acrylic, the concept of coming from and going towards the void is made clear (pun not intended). The quote is self-reflexive, and the piece in the Gallery allows you to get out of it what you put into it.
I wanted to do a bit more research about the movie that the quote is from, and perhaps why this quote was specifically chosen for this piece. Below is a brief storyline:
Guido is a film director, trying to relax after his last big hit. He can’t get a moment’s peace, however, with the people who have worked with him in the past constantly looking for more work. He wrestles with his conscience, but is unable to come up with a new idea. While thinking, he starts to recall major happenings in his life, and all the women he has loved and left. An autobiographical film of Fellini, about the trials and tribulations of film making.
The quote displayed in the piece comes from the end of the film, as Guido (and by extension, Fellini) is still contemplating his life and his film-making – emphasizing art for the enjoyment of it instead of a constant expectation to earn money or to please the public. Even this piece of art stands against that idea – it’s made of clear plastic with solid wood pieces, and if you’re staring at it head on or just walking past it, you don’t get to appreciate its beauty – and it especially stood out surrounded by other pieces, many of which were commissioned.
I spent a bit of time with this too–and although I agree with your comments, I’d also note other elements in play in the piece: the shadows that the acrylic panels cast on the wall (so that you could see faint outlines of the words); the fact that although the words are “crystal clear” they are also obscure, given that the lack of color/outline makes them paradoxically also undefined.