Andrea Zittel works from the self-proclaimed “Institute for Investigative Living” in Joshua Tree, CA. Her work draws upon the performance of a prophet proclaiming a better way of living, the art/craft fusion of the Bauhaus, and the humility of a desert hermit. Her property, A-Z West, is a fifty acre site in the California high desert and is an “enterprise that encompasses all aspects of day to day living. Home furniture, clothing, food all become the sites of investigation in an ongoing endeavor to better understand human nature and the social construction of needs.” Since fall of 2000 it has been “undergoing an ongoing conversion into a testing grounds for living, in which spaces, objects and acts of living all intertwine as a single ongoing
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We want beautiful objects to interact with in our day-to-day lives, but we also want those objects to be loaded with ideological or philosophical significance and positioned in the forefront of artistic tradition. Her Parallel Planar Panels “evoke manifold types of physical fields: abstract paintings, walls, floors, furnishings – as well as offering metaphors for the multifarious ‘planes’ of human experience. They reflect an enduring interest in the porous boundaries between distinct modes or genres – whether between abstraction and figuration, or the decorative and the functional. Rather than seeking to deconstruct categories and taxonomies, strategy of careful syncretism are honed adopted.” In her video Dynamic Essay about the Panel, Zittel notes that it is the limitations and definite boundaries that define the use and relevance of manifestations of the planar form. She describes horizontal panels (tables, rugs, floors, etc.) as “energetic accumulators.” They are the support structures on which we live. On the other hand, vertical panels are vehicles for meaning and messages, which she labels “ideological resonators.” I highly recommend watching this short video as she explores the profound ramifications of such a simple structure in our daily
We want beautiful objects to interact with in our day-to-day lives, but we also want those objects to be loaded with ideological or philosophical significance and positioned in the forefront of artistic tradition. Her Parallel Planar Panels “evoke manifold types of physical fields: abstract paintings, walls, floors, furnishings – as well as offering metaphors for the multifarious ‘planes’ of human experience. They reflect an enduring interest in the porous boundaries between distinct modes or genres – whether between abstraction and figuration, or the decorative and the functional. Rather than seeking to deconstruct categories and taxonomies, strategy of careful syncretism are honed adopted.” In her video Dynamic Essay about the Panel, Zittel notes that it is the limitations and definite boundaries that define the use and relevance of manifestations of the planar form. She describes horizontal panels (tables, rugs, floors, etc.) as “energetic accumulators.” They are the support structures on which we live. On the other hand, vertical panels are vehicles for meaning and messages, which she labels “ideological resonators.” I highly recommend watching this short video as she explores the profound ramifications of such a simple structure in our daily