Introduction

Roberty Maki was born in Walla Walla Washington, but was not long for there, as he spent the first ten years of his life traveling on the road with his father. In 1958, he began to attend Western Washington University with the intent of pursuing a teaching career. He worked in Edens Hall (then a Dining Hall) and a downtown ski shop to pay for his tuition and fees. In 1962, he graduated from Western with two degrees: a BA in Industrial Arts and a BA in Art and Education. He then went on to attend the University of Washington, from 1964 to 1966, where he got an MFA in Sculpture/Drawing.

Over time, he generated a passion for site generated sculptures, utilizing steel, concrete, and other metal materials in industrious and mechanical ways to create unique combinations of curves, angles, and lines with the intent of perceptual ambiguity and a focus on individual perception.

Recently, he has produced such works as the “West Lake Star/Axis/Seven Hills,” but Maki’s work dates back to 1966. The Collected Works of Robert Maki at Bellevue College Gallery emerged over the course of three years, featuring curvilinear sculptures and large drawings made of tape and metal. In 1971, he created “Canery II,” located at SeaTac Airport as an extension of the location’s geography, which he hoped to generate a sensation in audiences similar with going to the movies.

With the Vietnam War drawing to a close and Nixon’s presidency at hand, a study was done from 1974 to 1976 with regards to perception and how the environment around constructions influenced the individual perception of them. As his contribution to this research into perception and based off the research of others, Maki formulated “Curve/Diagonal” in 1979, with the intent of exploring form, space, the organic, the inorganic, and achieve an abstraction of geometry. Maki wanted to alter the perception of the viewer depending on the time of day, weather, and position of the viewer.

Although it was crafted during the minimalist period of art and has no direct metaphorical purpose, Maki insists that his work is not minimalist, which is quiet justified by the time and effort he puts into calculating exactly what circumstances, placing, angles, curves, etc. will make his pieces as impactful as possible, visually.

This suggests that the viewer is not meant to analyze and draw conclusions about Maki’s piece, though this is not discouraged, but allowed to simply admire and appreciate the way their perception of it changes with the passage of time and climate. It is a symbol of WWU pride and doesn’t need to represent much more.

Our Perception

It has become known to our group through our time of research that Robert Maki works in tandem with the landscape. Through a marriage of metal and earth, his peices offer a bouquet of unique experiences. With this in mind, we decided to open ourselves up to a multitude of view points. We visited the sculpture at different times of day and with varying weather patterns. By capturing these visits on camera, our group was able to capture a glimpse of the infinite perceptions “Curve/Diagonal” Has to offer.

While we did do our best to encapsulate the essence of Maki and his work, it would be impossible to accomplish this completely. In its very nature, “Curve/Diagonal” is a creature of infinite stories. No two eyes will see it the same, and no two visits are identical. If anything, we have uncovered a an entire world yet to be explored.

Created By

Abigail Freitag – Site admin / Research
Alex Lawson – Video edititer / Research
Brendon Naylor – Videographer / Research
Henry Chynoweth – Writer / Research

Music: http://www.bensound.com/