The Sculpture
“A conceptual artist whose quiet embrace of life-as-art made him a beloved guru in the Bay Area”
-Suzanne Muchnic
About the Artist
David Ireland was known for his art being functional and creating art pieces that came to life. He was born in Bellingham, WA in the 1930’s and even attended Western Washington University when the University was still Western Washington College of Education. He only attended Western for a short period. Then, David Ireland transferred to California College of Arts and Crafts to continue to study his passion. He was a sculptor and architect and utilized a variety of materials from phonebooks to huge slabs of metal for his larger installation pieces, such as Bigger Big Chair here on Western Washington University’s campus. A lot of his art was made to integrate with everyday environments in larger-than-life ways. He often wanted to breathe life into objects that were often overlooked and make them into art.
About the Sculpture
David Ireland’s installation titled Bigger Big Chair was initially meant to represent Western Washington University’s new Academic Instructional Center building, but was later moved to stand behind the student dorms, Buchanan Towers, but because the sheer weight of the sculpture was not able to stand in its original placement due to the marshy — and consequently, unstable — terrain Western is built on. Ireland chose a chair to represent a “seat of knowledge”, noting that much of our learning in places of academia take place while students are seated in chairs.
References:
The Regents of the University of California. “Inside 500 Capp Street: An Oral History of David Ireland’s House.” (n.d.): n. pag. Oral History- University of California, Berkeley.
Western Gallaries. “Western Washington University.” WESTERN GALLERY. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Feb. 2017. <https://westerngallery.wwu.edu/sculpture/bigger-big-chair>.
Muchnic, Suzanne. “David Ireland Dies at 78; Bay Area Conceptual Artist.” Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2009. Web. 07 Feb. 2017. <http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-me-david-ireland30-2009may30-story.html>.
Tsujimoto, Karen, David Ireland, and Jennifer R. Gross. The Art of David Ireland: The Way Things Are. Oakland, CA: Oakland Museum of California, 2003. Print.
Schwartz, Jeremy. “Artist Completes Newest Sculpture.” The Western Front, 28
Sep. 2007. Web. 07 Feb. 2017. Westernfrontonline.net.
Cohn, Terri. “Interview with David Ireland.” Art Practical, 16 Dec. 2009. Web. 07
Feb. 2017. artpractical.com.
David Ireland: Sculptures, Paintings, Drawings. London: Ridinghouse, 2008.
Print.
About the video:
Video Creators:
McKenzie Rugo
Renne Shepard
Actresses:
Lindsay Norstrom
Beck Bock
Song:
Beach Vibes with Drums By Ryan Cullinane
Post Created By:
McKenzie Rugo
Renee Shepard
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