Scientific principles and craft traditions converge in the research-focused practice of Tauba Auerbach — Colossal
Art Documentary Music
#drawing #painting #sculpture #sound #Tauba Auerbach #video
Tauba Auerbach (formerly) wants to « be somewhere that isn’t a hard edge », within a space that mimics the instability of « The Wave Organ.” Set inside a San Francisco Bay pier, the sculpture was created by Peter Richards and George Gonzalez in 1986 and captures the sounds of the waves as they crash and fill the pipes, emitting a musical mix of gurgling and gushing noises as the tide turns. The work is designed to highlight the acoustic irregularities of the Earth’s elements and is also one of Auerbach’s favorite locations in their native San Francisco.
In a new episode From Art21In Season 11’s « Bodies of Knowledge, » which premiered in late June, Auerbach visits the instrument and explains their interest in natural patterns and processes, physics, and mathematical principles. They harbor a deep curiosity and desire to understand the complex systems that underlie life, many of which they interpret as swirling marbled paper, spontaneous mosaic designs in sharpie, and writhing bead sculptures that evoke biological forms such as the stark composition of a sea sponge.
Auerbach in their study
Auerbach’s New York studio is full of these translations and the shelves that line the space are full of puzzles, organic matter and small treasures that inspire the artist’s works. They are interested in how these structures and systems are not only the basis of life on Earth, but also of craft and art traditions. For Auerbach, research into how pigments rest on water or how variations in the artist’s hand speed affect a painting is as important as the work itself. “I’m quite drawn to things that barely work. Near impossibility is the key,” they say.
After examining the artist’s large and diverse practice, the segment closes with « Auerglass, » an interactive organ-like instrument Auerbach created in collaboration with their friend and musician Cameron Mesirow. Made of glass and wood, the apparatus works with pedals, keys and pipes like the traditional design, although it requires two players. Each person has only half a keyboard — four octaves have been divided by alternating notes — and is needed to pump air for the other. Physically engaging and rooted in the principles of sound, « Auerglass » is evidence of the artist’s interest in experience, connection and the understanding that « the body is an important tool of thought ».
Auerbach will open a solo exhibition entitled TIDE on July 15th at Frideric in Cassel, Germany. That exhibit runs through January 14, 2024, and you can find more of their work at their site AND Instagram. You may also enjoy the previous episodes of Art21 on Wangechi Mutu and Guadalupe Maravilla.
Auerbach at « The Wave Organ » in San Francisco
Auerbach in their study
Cameron Mesirow (left) and Auerbach (right) play “Auerglass”
#drawing #painting #sculpture #sound #Tauba Auerbach #video
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