“No to transcendence and spiritual values, heroic scale, anguished decisions, historicizing narrative, valuable artifact, intelligent structure, interesting visual experience.” – Robert Morris

About the Artist

Robert Morris was born July 29th, 1931 and was an up and coming artist from Kansas City, Missouri. He grew up in the peak of expressionism and after graduating high-school, Morris filtered through a series of schools and eventually went on to study engineering at the University of Kansas in 1948. Later that year he decided to pursue his passion for fine art at the Kansas Institute for Art. In 1951 Morris transferred to the California School of Fine Art where he only stayed a semester before joining the United States Army Corp of Engineers. During his time in the military, Morris traveled to Korea where he served his country in international affairs. In 1953 he finally returned to the United States and ended his military career. Upon his return Morris sought out further education and went back to school. This time around he attended Reed College in Oregon to study psychology and philosophy. After 2 years at Reed College he went back to California.

In the 1960s Morris was one of the artists who pioneered a new artistic movement known as Minimalism. This new style of art was first recognized in the late 1950s and focused on simplicity. This time period was influenced by a liberalist rebellion against capitalism. Minimalists wanted a simple form of art that could be appreciated by everyone and not just the elite and “experts” of society.  After this period of globalism and the effects of wide spread war the distrust in the government was growing. Minimalist artists wanted to abandon the idea of personal expression in order to give their work a more literal presence. This is sometimes called the power of less. It was used to contrast the artistic style of Expressionism which preceded it. Expressionism was also influenced by the war as a way for victims to express their emotions caused by the traumatic events they endured. In contrast with Minimalism, Expressionism embraced self expression and emotion in art. Knowing this, it is clear that Minimalism and Minimalists sought to reject the old ways. They believed in de-mystifying artistic expression to make it as unexpressive and impersonal as they deemed necessary.

In Minimalism, Morris valued function over form. He took it to heart to create interactive pieces that would engage with the environment and community around it. This is apparent with his first large scale sculpture Passageway in 1961 and his stylistic vision has continued to progress. The piece was located on 112 Chambers St. in a Manhattan loft and was set in a hallway composed of a semicircle leading to a point. People interacting with the piece would be able to hear the ticking of a clock from an unknown source. Engagement is essential to Morris’s work as is clearly seen from the beginning of his art career.

His piece Steam Works for Bellingham, located at Western Washington University, carries on this legacy.

Up close picture of the rocks and foundation for the sculpture, through which the steam rises.

Interpretation and Reaction

The untitled piece by Robert Morris sits between walking paths frequently used by student at Western Washington university. Around the sculpture there are two school buildings, a road, and a line of trees, while also neighboring Sehome Arboretum. The work is reminiscent of a large sandbox with an outlining wood frame that holds in a large bed of stones. This roughly 20 by 20 feet square structure is surrounded by grass and appears to sink into the ground. The piece has a neutral, natural, and earth-influenced atmosphere with its large open viewing platform allowing a perspective from all angles and sides. The untitled artwork is also complemented by its natural color pallet with its low laying display on the ground.

        The size makes the piece feel large, but the low and ground level placement doesn’t make it seem overwhelming or massive. The contrast between the size and placement creates unity throughout the sculpture and surrounding areas.  This makes the artwork well balanced and aesthetically pleasing, while actually being a functional and interactive piece.

         The piece seems to parallel the natural atmosphere, cycle, and weather of its placement here in Bellingham, WA. This sculpture has its wood frame from the trees, its smooth and almost river rocks like base, and the steam is reminiscent of the clouds and fog rolling above and around us in our environment.

About This Project

We have created a video which encompasses audio clips of sounds and interactions happening around the sculpture and campus. Along with time-lapse videos to showcase the piece and its ever changing and dynamic nature we captured the interactions the public has with the work, which is why the placement plays an instrumental role in the interpretation of the piece. This is especially apparent with the difference between when it’s releasing steam or in its static moments. The audio clips have helped to create another dimension to the project and by introducing the audio element we gained another aspect to help present the piece and assist our project in creating an accurate representation of the ambiance around the sculpture. Our goals for this project are to showcase the artwork through visual and audio representation to replicate the piece in its true form.

CREDITS:

Alex Moreno: Blog Admin, Photographer/Videography, Video Editor and Writer

Alexander Swanson: Researcher and Writer

Maricar Cacawa: Audio Recorder

CITATIONS:

Berger, Maurice, “The Politics of Experience: Robert Morris, Minimalism, and the 1960s” (1988). CUNY Academic Works.

Introduction to Minimal Art, understandingminimalism.com, 22nd Oct., 2018, http://understandingminimalism.com/introduction-to-minimal-art/

Unknown. “The Sculpture at Western.” Steam Works for Bellingham. N.P., N.D. Web. 22nd Oct., 2018. https://wp.wwu.edu/MAMARISSA/WESTERNS-SCULPTURE/

“Robert Morris Biography, Art, and Analysis of works.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist-morris-robert.htm

IANCO-STARRELS, JOSINE. “Robert Morris Works Focus on Environment.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 1986, articles.latimes.com /1986-04-27/entertainment/ca-23856_1_robert-morris

Rodriguez, Jason. “The US Minimalist Movement: Radical Political Practice?” Review of Radical Political Economics, vol. 50, no. 2, 2017, pp. 286–296., doi:10.1177/0486613416665832.