Event 2

For Event 2, I went to the Hammer Museum to visit the Hammer Contemporary Collection. The museum was bigger than expected since there is not much space to work with. The graffiti in the main lobby and the spinning was the first thing I noticed about the museum. The graffiti and chairs provided a more relaxed vibe because I believe people, like me, get intimidated by going to an art museum.

https://www.google.com/searchq=hammer+museum&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQ7rf234XNAhVU3W
MKHecPB0IQ_AUICCgC&biw=1440&bih=731#tbm=isch&q=hammer+museum+lobby&imgrc=BgGygt8s5gyMoM%3A

The Hammer Contemporary Collection was the exhibit I picked my photo from. I really enjoyed that part of the exhibit where they displayed Andy Warhol photographs because I had never seen those before. Another artist in the collection is Dennis Oppenheim (1938-2011) from California. He “has employed all available methods: writing, action, performance, video, film, photography, and installation (with and without sound or monologue). He has used mechanical and industrial elements, fireworks, common objects and traditional materials, materials of the earth, his own or another's body. He has created works for interior, exterior and public spaces” (dennis-oppenheim). Even with all this variety, his work at the Hammer is film stills of a gingerbread man being digested. Inspired by imprinting his own form or placing his body in relationship to the Earth, the original film explores scale, ritual, and humankind’s relationship to the land. 

http://corps.ec56.org/3/8/img/3.8.3.jpg

In relation to the lectures, the digestion of the ginger bread goes closely ties with Week 6 Biotechnology + Art. This week we learned about how biology can be manipulated in order to create art. Though Oppenheim did not manipulate the chemicals in the digestive system he did artistically document it to symbolize that anything created or morphed by the body can be art. 

In conclusion I would recommend other students to visit the Hammer Museum. It is not far from campus and there were other collections that were very interesting. Also the brown spinning chairs were pretty fun. 

http://www.valnextdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/val-next-door-hammer-museum4.jpg

Cite:

Scharf, Kenny. Lobby of Hammer Museum. 2016. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

"Dennis Oppenheim Biography." Dennis Oppenheim Biography. 2015. Web. 31 May 2016.

Oppenheim, Dennis. Stills from Gingerbread Man. 1967. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.

VALNEXTDOOR. Chairs. 2015. Hammer Museum, Los Angeles.
Vesna, Victoria. "BioTech Art Lecture: Part 1." 31 May 2016. Lecture.