She left her jello in San Francisco
In my continuing quest to bring you the best (and worst) of jello, I offer more of the artwork of Liz Hickok, who makes cities out of the substance.
It may sound like a joke, but it’s not. The constructions (recipes?) are quite lovely, in fact, with a strange (and no doubt quivering) beauty. Here’s what Ms. Hickok has to say about what she does:
This project consists of photographs and video, which depict various San Francisco landscapes. I make the landscapes by constructing scale models of the architectural elements which I use to make molds. I then cast the buildings in Jell-O. Similar to making a movie set, I add backdrops, which I often paint, and elements such as mountains or trees, and then I dramatically light the scenes from the back or underneath. The Jell-O sculptures quickly decay, leaving the photographs and video as the remains.
I originally posted some of Ms. Hickok’s work here, but that photo seems crude compared with the detail of other elements of her installation.
Here are two of my favorite parts of her shimmering San Francisco vision—the first is the city as seen from Alcatraz:
The second is the Palace of Fine Arts:
Here’s a photo of the original, which is already a sort of fantasy building:
Hickok’s work is part of the ephemeral art movement, in which the creations are meant to decay, persisting only in the realm of photography and memory. Andy Goldworthy, whose work I first came across years ago, is one of the most famous practitioners of the art. I confess to a fondness for his constructions, even though he eschews jello for more natural (and inedible) building blocks such as leaves, twigs, flowers, and ice.
It was said long ago that life is short, art long. In this case, art imitates life, and has been intentionally made even shorter.
I like the surreal quality. If the sunset background of the Alcatraz view were a bit brighter – a bit more upbeat – you could design a room around the photo. If you added texture via adding paint to all aspects of the photo, you might have something fun and interesting and cheesy – which, of course, would be the point. (though, hopefully, the painting would resonate as more jello-ey than literally cheesy)
Oooooohs and Aaaaaahhhhs…….Thanks once again, neo. I flipped last time you showed a piece of Ms. Hickok’s work, and I am once again most impressed. Her use of color (and lighting) is dramatic and wonderfully original. The cynic in me wonders if the use of the medium might have initially some kind of “gimmick” (i.e. the use of jello — I personally have found the success of all too many modern “artists” attributable more to the use of signature gimmicks and very astute sales wizardry than genuine talent….but hey, that’s just my opinion) or genuine curiosity. It really doesn’t matter when the result is such a feast for the eyes (no pun originally intended!)
I also am a fan of Andy Goldsworthy. His creations are amazing, but equally integral to his work is his philosophy regarding the using natural objects of nature in the creation of literally ephemeral art. About two years ago I saw a documentary film he made about his work. In addition to filming the process of creating the art, he spoke of how he gets ideas, how he prepares for the actual “making” of the art, and the constraints he must deal with due to the very nature of the art which is almost always designed to exist only temporarily. The natural materials he “borrows” from Nature, and the “return” of the materials is all part of the process. If you ever have the opportunity to see this film, it is wonderful and it made me an instant fan!
P.S. I forgot to say in the second piece of Ms. Hickok’s work you posted, the use of color is remarkably similar to the coloration achieved in paté de verre which the House of Daum is famous for. They create figures and pieces in crystal, and the colorations are unique and nuanced. This is achieved by artists who first make a model. Then a casting is made of the model. Then crystal in various colors is ground up, poured into the casting molds while using the different colors and heated so the glass/crystal melts and takes the shape of the artist’s work. It’s quite interesting that Ms. Hickok’s process is similar except her medium is temporary so the art must survive via visual record — photographs or video.
Jello will never be the same. How many purchasers of Jello in the next year will have done so because of Neoneocon’s jello postings?
When I was in Architecture school, we had regular lecturers, usually, but not always architects. Most of the lectures were so bad it’s beyond descriptions. Occasionally one would be somewhat interesting. Andy Goldsworthy was by far the best lecture during that time. His works are amazing, and the process, and the collaborative aspect with nature are extraordinary. His rigor in pursuing these works takes it well beyond the realm so many artists never make it out of – gimmicky. His stuff is anything but.