Usually, art isn’t considered something aficionados must duck to view. Installation artist Mark Rumsey begs to differ.
Dozens of identical yellow kite-like objects hung low from the ceiling at the reception of Rumsey’s “Spring Cloud” art exhibition in Dittmar Gallery on Thursday night.
Dittmar welcomed students and community members to meet Rumsey and view his work. The installation piece will be on display through May 8 and is part of a series on cloud forms Rumsey has displayed in galleries the past few years. The piece dominates the small space in Norris University Center, and that’s the idea, Dittmar Executive Coordinator Megan Lee said.
“With other shows, there are a lot of people who just come in to sit and do homework and sort of look at what’s on the walls as they go by,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “This makes people curious and draws a different, larger student audience for us.”
The display represents divinity and nature as they evolve and change organically over time, Rumsey said. People with different levels of art appreciation can come and enjoy the work, he said.
“I don’t want to create things that are exclusionary,” he said. “I want to create works that are about ideas and understanding.”
Although he said he first stopped by the reception for the free food, Corey Bertelsen stayed to look at the piece, which is different than other works he has seen at Dittmar, he said.
“My initial impression was actually discomfort because it’s unlike anything they’ve had before,” the McCormick and Bienen junior said. “But then you look at it, and it becomes this nice departure from the outside world of Northwestern.”
Rumsey said he encourages viewers to look at the piece from various angles and levels.
Lying down and staring up at the suspended objects is an interesting way to see the work, and walking around the perimeter creates an airflow that moves the pieces, he said.
“The goal was to create something that allows several ways to view it,” he said. “The piece creates different movements and shadows that play across the floor as you interact with it.”
After reading about the reception in a newspaper, Skokie resident Lucille Kulwin and her friend, Evanston resident Janis Levine, decided to come to Dittmar for the first time. Kulwin was impressed by the piece and plans to come back for future shows, she said.
“We didn’t know what we were going to see, but we decided to take a chance,” Kulwin said. “This is amazing. It’s like dozens of lanterns turning with just the slightest bit of air.”
The show is the latest example of Dittmar’s efforts to bring artists who provide a broad perspective of artistic forms to the NU community, Assistant Coordinator Shannon Desmond said.
“We’ve shown everything this year from painting to installation shows,” the Communication freshman said. “We want the art to be interesting and diverse and allow people to experience and play with it in many ways.” [email protected]
