Art, Cups, NYC

In the press release for Hypergraphia at the Flatiron, the art dealer Cheryl McGinnis talks about the nonstop pace of 21 Century life, a life where we are "untethered from homes and offices due to rapid advancements in wireless and computer technology". Initially, I thought about this as it applied to me and my fractured time, resulting in art made on the go and the idea of the mobile art studio.

evagolightly, Statigram, 9.31 pm, 10/23/11

It also applies to the Cheryl McGinnis - a mobile and flexible art dealer. She stays connected to her bricks and mortar gallery via iphone and ipad (she has just opened a gorgeous new space in Tribeca) but she is frequently on the move, curating museum shows and pop-up spaces and taking artwork into the homes of clients (where she doesn't just help place it on the walls; she vacuums and rearranges the furniture too. I have seen her do it!) She also created and teaches a "visual thinking" program for kids called Art E.

que_serasera, 14PC, 8.39 am, 9/24/1

However, I hadn't really thought about how this applies to the multi-tasking, mobile, art viewing public. Sure, I knew that a lot of people would see an exhibition in the Flatiron Prow, situated as it is on a major intersection at the very heart of New York City, but I hadn't reckoned on the way that happens. 

petra_mckenzie, Statigram, 11/11

Typical encounters with Hypergraphia go like this: Pedestrians are striding purposefully by, cuppa in hand, ear buds in, talking on their cell phones. They are brought to a halt in surprise by the hundreds of suspended cup drawings scintillating and turning in the windows of the Prow Artspace. They promptly get off their calls, take photos with their phones, apply some filters and load them to the internet right away.

Rula, Statigram, 10/11

A few keywords - #cups #flatiron #nyc- and the photos join a growing online archive on Statigram, Flickr, Tumblr, Tweetpics, Google+, Facebook and other photo blogs of the way each individual sees the installation.

They are consuming their art and making some of their own on the fly!

Selen, 14PC, 10/11

In an essay called Lessons from Social Media, Nick Martin writes:

"Here’s a description of the process Leech goes through with each cup and why:
“Leech saves cups from her drinks — and occasionally from other artists she meets for tea or coffee — washes, dries them and records on the bottom the date, place, occasion, and drink it held, thus documenting the social moment.”

Catch that last part? Each cup documents a “social moment”. Every single cup suspended so delicately in midair symbolizes a personal interaction, an exchange of stories or ideas, a connection with another human being. All of these social moments are then made into art, and displayed to hundreds of onlookers sparking new social moments, ideas, stories, and connections."

Danielle_B, Facebook, 11/7/1

It is exactly as he says! And just as each cup is different, each viewer's photos are unique, sparking their own text-based responses and conversations.

"I love how simple yet magnificent and intricate this is all at once!"

 chrysanthacakes, Statigram, 11.49 am, 10/21/11

 

Where will it all end up? Where will all this connectedness take us? I have no idea. I am excited by the possibilities. 

"Contemplating Modern Art in New York City",
chacoan, Statigram, 2.44 pm, 11/1/2011

As I watch it all unfold, there are many cups of tea and coffee to drink and many more drawings to do between now and the beginning of 2012.

See you at the Flatiron. And don't forget to bring your camera - or at the very least, your cellphone.

 

cattie, 12.37 am, 10/31/11

rmar, Statigram, 5.58 pm, 11/4/2011

 

Matthew Huie, Flickr, 11/7/11