Art in Metrotech
As of November 7, 2008, art has transformed Metrotech in a way that coincides with its history. The theme of "Trapdoor" is to provide Metrotech, an area that has pronounced much growth and transformation within the last decade, with art. "By using or making reference to recognizable objects whose properties are exaggerated or altered in one way or another, the artists express transformation as a physical condition in their work. The goal of the artists is to create an overarching transition or metamorphism in work that seems to be changing appearance, moving, disappearing or melting." Viewers are supposed to feel as if they are passing through some sort of time portal and enter into a new world. A world that gives excuse to strike up conversation, to imagine, for one second, what life would be like if what ever it is your imagining was to be the truth. In Strom's essay, "Converting Pork into Porcelain," the article mentions that art is supposed to increase non economical benefits to a city as well as increase the value of other products. In Metrotech's case, I see the art as a means of giving the people something in common. Metrotech hosts nearly 20,000 white collar workers, so attracting more people is not the goal, but giving them something to converse about is. And, seeing a giant melting waffle, or a bronze deflated basketball, that looks like it fell from the sky, will give the most introverted person something to speak about.
In Metrotech now:
Ethan Breckinridge’s' "I'm ok-your ok." This consists of 100 furniture dollies compiled on top of each other. This stands 16 feet high and resembles a civic monument.
Francis Cape's "On Main Street." Found in the lobby of Metrotech, this combines history with modernism. It combines the look of minimalist sculpture and with shaker design. It appears to be a fragment of a table and part of a shelf fused together with portions of walls.
These are just a couple examples of what type of art can be seen by passer byes of Metrotech. For more information about these pieces visit http://www.publicartfund.org/pafweb/projects/08/trapdoor/index.html.
Metrotech features new commissions by Ethan Breckenridge, Martha Friedman, and Sarah Greenberger Rafferty, and recent works by Francis Cape.