Hood Museum of Art
Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hood
603-646-2808
Thoughtful Mechanisms: The Lyrical Engineering
of Arthur Ganson
The Hood Museum of Art celebrates the whimsical mechanical sculptures
of native New Englander Arthur Ganson in Thoughtful Mechanisms: The Lyrical
Engineering of Arthur Ganson. On view January 15 to March 12, 2000 this
exhibition shares the wonder and genius of Ganson's creations, which include
a sauntering wishbone, an exploding chair that pulls itself back together,
a machine with eggshells that delicately clack random rhythms, and other
awe-inspiring machines that dance, flutter, tumble, and even breathe. An
internationally acclaimed artist, Ganson incorporates his direct observations
of human beings and nature into the creation of machines that evoke wonder,
laughter, and reflection. (left: Arthur Ganson at work in his studio. Collection
of the artist)
Ganson's
kinetic machines range from simple, heavy steel constructions to complex,
wire silhouettes. Many of these machines are viewer activated or driven
by electric motors, some operating with gears and sprockets made by the
artist himself. In a lengthy article on Ganson published in Smithsonian
Magazine, author David Sims describes the sculptor's work as "retrotechnology
with a 19th-century quality.... No lasers, no subminiaturized computer wizardry.
What you see is what you get. People generally get what they see because
there are so many points of entry, the end result of the playful Ganson
mind.... Kids love Machine with Wishbone because it's funny, odd,
and ingenious. Many adults, on the other hand, see pathos and tragedy as
the enslaved little bone drags the clanking contraption behind it."
(left: Arthur Ganson, Machine with Roller Chain, 1996, Collection
of the artist)
Although inspired by the work of Swiss kinetic sculptor
Jean Tinguely (1925-1991) and such other artists as 
Bauhaus painter Paul Klee (1879-1940), many of Ganson's
works reflect the singular and original vision of the machine aesthetic.
Ganson describes himself as a cross between an engineer and a choreographer,
and he uses his innate mechanical abilities to produce fantasy. Unlike most
artists, Ganson's work is not intended to make a particular statement: "I
feel very strongly that the pieces need to stand on their own. I'm not interested
in intellectual sculpture that needs to be explained to be understood."
Instead, Ganson frees viewers' imaginations by producing machines with expressive
and individual personalities based on the artist's observations of human
nature. Appropriately, some machines in the exhibition have attitude, while
others are more thoughtful. (right: Arthur Ganson, Machine with 23
Scraps of Paper, 1998, Collection of the artist)
Ganson captures the innocent nature of childhood in Child
Watching Ball (1996). A combination of steel, copper pipe, and chains
come to life as a motorized doll head follows the playful motions of a toy
ball. Machine with 11 Scraps of Paper (1999) evokes a more meditative
mood. Powered by an intricate series of gears and cranks, eleven tall metal
stems gently wave wires topped with white scraps of paper. The scraps of
paper flutter quietly and give the machine an ethereal quality--as if it
were a small flock of birds in slow motion or a delicate planting of flowers
caught in a soft, summer breeze.
Ganson
is an artist-in-residence at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where
many of his machines are on long-term display. He has also held residencies
in science museums, collaborated with the Studebaker Movement Theater, and
been featured in solo exhibitions at Harvard University's Carpenter Center,
the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass., and the Ricco /Maresca Gallery in
New York. Arthur Ganson is also the creator of the popular foam construction
toy Toobers and Zots. (left: Arthur Ganson, Machine with 23 Scraps
of Paper (detail), 1998, Collection of the artist)
Read more about the Hood
Museum of Art in Resource Library Magazine.
rev. 12/23/10
Search Resource
Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2010 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
The Hood Museum of Art celebrates the whimsical mechanical sculptures
of native New Englander Arthur Ganson in Thoughtful Mechanisms: The Lyrical
Engineering of Arthur Ganson. On view January 15 to March 12, 2000 this
exhibition shares the wonder and genius of Ganson's creations, which include
a sauntering wishbone, an exploding chair that pulls itself back together,
a machine with eggshells that delicately clack random rhythms, and other
awe-inspiring machines that dance, flutter, tumble, and even breathe. An
internationally acclaimed artist, Ganson incorporates his direct observations
of human beings and nature into the creation of machines that evoke wonder,
laughter, and reflection. (left: Arthur Ganson at work in his studio. Collection
of the artist)
