Although the current featured exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum is ostensibly a show of Isamu Noguchi's sculpture and design, it really should be considered a collaborative work. In SAM's new show, the decorative and functional art of Noguchi is the centerpiece of Robert Wilson's installation. And in this instance, the installation is as important as the objects on display.
Noguchi, master of minimalism in furniture, stage sets, lamps, urban design and sculpture, fused Western modernism with Japanese aesthetics. The child of an American mother and a Japanese father, he was exposed to the influences of East and West throughout a life that spanned much of the 20th century. His impact on art and design is enormous, and contemporary furniture design and much of modern sculpture continue to reflect his style. Museums throughout the world include his work in their collections.
Wilson is an internationally acclaimed director, choreographer and installation artist who became friends with Noguchi in the 1960s despite an age difference of almost 40 years. Both were involved in the theater, an arena where Wilson is still lauded for his groundbreaking stagecraft.
In this exhibition Wilson uses his extraordinary talents to pay homage to the genius of Noguchi, and in doing so, he transports the visitor. Like Alice we drop through the rabbit hole and find ourselves in unfamiliar environments that are filled with wonder.
There are five major settings, each quite different from its neighbors, each stimulating different sets of emotions. The first features stage props from three Martha Graham dances. In this darkened and quiet room, the dramatic lighting on the props is stirring. They tower over us. Overwhelm us. Light from two TV monitors built into black boxes plays over the faces of those looking down on Graham as she performs the dances for which this stage scenery was created. The whole effect is disquieting even as it's awe-inspiring.
From that room we move directly into the bright lights, white walls and cacophony of a simulated cocktail party. Here the floors are covered in fiber mats. The smell from bales of straw and layers of wood shavings wafts through the air. Nearly 20 of Noguchi's famous paper-and-bamboo Akari lamps intensify the light. Each is of a different design.
The room reverberates with the chatter, music and laughter of a lively party. And museum visitors can't help but shuck off the emotions of the dark and be invigorated by the kilowatts and the light and airy designs.
From there, we move into a serene gray environment where the sound of falling water and traditional Japanese music seem to invite us to stay, refresh ourselves. This is a vast space whose floor is covered in tons of gravel, with intersecting paths of steppingstone. Seventeen elegant sculptures are placed along the serpentine paths. Contrasting in texture, medium and shape, each one offers reason to tarry.
In another space, polished aluminum floor tiles and examples of progressive art and design evoke an entirely different emotion: wonder at the modernity of it all. The 1930s Bakelite radio, the 1940s and 1950s tables and stools are shockingly contemporary; they might have been produced in today's Milan. A splendidly lit mobile creates a shadow on the wall that is as interesting as the sculpture itself.
Also in this room are minimalist rocking chairs. Although they were created in 1944 for Graham's "Appalachian Spring," they look thoroughly modern. Aaron Copland's music provides the appropriate sound overlay for this room.
The final installation includes stage props for Graham's "Herodiade," which was based on a poem by the 19th-century poet Stéphane 1Mallarmé. These stark, white, skeletal structures sit on a raised platform covered in shards of glass, capturing the abstraction that appealed to both Graham and Mallarmé.
This is not an exhibit for exuberant children. The environments offer contemplative and intellectual satisfactions that are not always savored by energetic youngsters. It is best appreciated when a limited number of visitors are there at any one time. Entrance is by timed tickets, and I hope the museum is monitoring entry to avoid overcrowding. That might mean longer delays to get in, but it's worth the wait.
You'll find no interpretive signage within the exhibition, but there is a printed museum guide that you should pick up and take with you when you enter. It's easy to use, provides some context and identifies each piece on display.
"Isamu Noguchi - Sculptural Design" continues through Sept. 5. Seattle Art Museum, located at 100 University St., is open Tuesdays-Sundays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursdays until 9 p.m. Suggested admission $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and students. No charge for children under 6 accompanying an adult. For information call 654-3100.[[In-content Ad]]
