Friday, September 30, 1977- The Michigan Daily
/yhmakes swooping art
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By MARTHA GOFF
MIonday morning there was a huge
oken wing lying on the grass in
nt of the University of Michigan
useum of Art, by evening it had
etamorphosed into a jagged piece
a fallen star. In the middle of the
ek it became a jig-saw puzzle and
iday it developed into a maze that
emed to have neither beginning nor
i. Saturday night it was the
oreographer of a dance. It is called
edalus. And since this piece of
ulpture was erected on the Art
iseum lawn two weeks ago it has
t changed its shape, except in the
nds of those who have watched it.
'Daedalus" spans 30 feet of ground
d at its tip is 10 feet high. It is made
five steel parallelograms, all
ining together, so that one wonders
he removal of a single piece would
use the entire structure to fall.
arles Ginniver sculpted "Daed-
is" and his title of the work gives
many clues which may help us
joy this piece of contemnporary
ilpture. Daedalus was a mytholog-
A character who built a labyrinth.
It vas a place of countless corridors
that led through numerous doorways
and opened onto more winding
passages. Once in this maze, finding
a way out was impossible. This detail
of the myth suggest one way we
might define Daedalus.
Wherever one stands to look at the
work, a different view is presented.
As I circled slowly around Daedalus
new angles, new shadows, new
geometric shapes, and new gaps
where the light poured through,
appeared. Yet I would be hard put to
say which line, shape, or panel is the
beginning of the pieve and which is
the end. It is like a maze and the
pieces resemble those of a jig-saw
puzzle. The person looking at Daed-
alus can play his or her own game.
By changing their position on the
lawn, they can determine which
piece they want to put in which place
and thus, put together the puzzle in
any way that pleases them.
Delving further into the myth gives
still another perspective on the
sculpture. Daedalus, having dis-
pleased a king, is locked up in a tower
with his ytang son, Icarus. He tries to
devise a means for escape, and being.
the clever and skillful man he is, is
able to fashion a pair of wings for
himself and Icarus. "He wrought
feathers together, beginning with the
smallest and adding larger, so as to
form an increasing surface. The
larger ones he secured with thread
and the smaller with wax, and gave
the whole a gentle curvature like the
wings of a bird." Finally, Daedalus
tested the wings and was successful.
He then attached a pair to his son,
While his mouth uttered cries to his
father it was submerged in the blue
waters of the sea which thenceforth
was called by his name. His father
cried, 'Icarus, Icarus, where are
you?' At last he saw the feathers
floating on the water and bitterly la-
menting his own arts, he buried the
body and called the land Icaria in
memory of his child."
One of those wings, fallen from the
sky, lies on the Art Museum lawn.
Perhaps young Icarus is beneath it.
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the ann orbor fIlm cooperative
Friday, September 30 tonig.ht!
(u HARRY AND TONTO
(Paul Mazursky, 1974) 7& 9-MLB4
Harry (Art Corney). a 72-year-old retiree going nuts with boredom and feelings of uselessness,
embarks with his cat on an odyssey across America and meets an unbelievable variety of
human originals: a crazy Indian medicine man, a grizzly frontier salesman, an aging political
radicol, a proud but senile lady dancer. Trenchantly witty, whimsical without mawkishness, Lorney
won (and deserved) on Oscar for a big, risk-taking performance. "A triumph of imaginative
sympathy."-Stephon Farber. With EL.EN BURSTYN.,
Admission $1.50
Graphics by Mouldin
bright but too simple
Daily Photo by CHRISTINA SCHNEIDER
The sculpture Daedalus, the University's latest acquisition, reposes on the
CELEBRATION MIME THEATRE
PRESENTS
THE CELEBRATION TRIO
IN
I..
"PINOCCHI@"
an original adaptation of the classic Italian folktale
directed by TONY MONTANARO
UD. U-M Campus, State & Huron
9 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
lawn in front of Alumni Memorial Hall.
warning him not to fly too close to the
sun lest the wax which held the
feathers together melt, and send
Icarus plunging to earth. The two
flew away from the tower to free-
dom. But Icarus was so excited by
this new ability that he forgot his
father's instructions and flew up-
ward towards the sun. "The nearness
of the blazing sun softened the wax
which held the feathers together, and
they came off.
He fluttered with his arms, but no
feathers remained to hold the air.
TRUEBLOOD Al
SUNDAY, OCT.
BENEFIT CLONLARA
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Ad
SCHOOL
: 1.50 children, 2.50 adults
vanced Sales at Logos
UAC Mediatrics
Mel Brooks Weekend,
Friday, Sept. 30th 7:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m.
Blazing Saddles
Saturday, Oct. 1st Double Feature
The Producers
Starring ZERO MOSTEL and GENE WILDER 7 p.m. and 10:15
The 12 Chairs ,8:30only
Mel "Fun" Brooks' first film stars Dom DeLuise as an easily corrupted Priest searching for a chair full of Czarist
jewels in a revolutionized Russia full of greed, superstition and buffoonish bureaucracy. Mel plays (to distraction)
aCretin in this hilarious 94-minute cheese.
Single $1.50 Double Feature $2.50 All films NAT. SCI. AUD.
Crtnin .this hiri .' ces. r .ii e i ri.
It too has a gentle curvature and
each parallelogram could be a
section of feathers, all of which are
joined to form a fragile wing. Of
course one doesn't have to see the
piece in this way. Without knowing
the title it may still appear to be a
wing or a maze, or it may appear to
be something entirely different, a sea
shell or a toothy saw, it depends on
the viewer.
It is amazing that this bit of
intrigue has been treated by some as
meriting immediate destruction.
Few works of art are liked by
everyone, but in this case, one
wonders if people are even giving
Daedalus a chance. Strangely
enough, I see countless people walk
by Daedalus every day without
glancing at it. Perhaps they don't
enjoy letting their imagination play,
for certainly Daedalus is a, piece ,that
,requires effort on the part of the
viewer who wishes to experience .it.
And yet it really requires no effort
at all to walk around it, to look at it,
and to try to guess what it might be.
Children approach it readily, smil-
ing, trying to find ways to climb this
new toy. They touch Daedalus and
walk around him, staring at the peak
that towers above them. It is
interesting that the youngest people,
(I saw a littleboy who couldn't have
been more than three, playing with
Daedalus yesterday) who have no
formal education, appear to appre-
hend the sculpture quickest and to
enjoy, it without questioning.
Daedalus is on the lawn for those
who wish to enjoy. As one commenta-
tor put it,'
Daedalus is on the lawn for those
who wish to enjoy. As one commenta-
tor put it, "The effect is of a serenity
that is at odds with its size."
By KAREN BORNSTEIN
Looking at Alan Moulding's silk
screens and etchings is like taking a
trip back in time. A trip to the days
when the books you owned didn't con-
tain graphs and diagrams, but simple
illustrations of fun things like sailboats,
seashores and circus clowns. Alan
Moulding's Fun and Classy etchings
and silk screen pictures are currently
on display at Gallery One, 113 S. Fourth
Avenue, throughout the month of Sep-
tember.
Moulding, currently residing in To-
ronto, was born in England in 1943. He
studied in London at Walthamston
School of Art and at the Royal College
of Art. In 1967ahe was awarded a prize
at Northern Young Contemporaries for-
his etchings and silk screens of simple
subjects in clear, vivid colors.
One automatically associates the
subject matter in Moulding's work with
children. Beachballs, sailboats, toy
boats, animals, and flowers are among
the dominant themes that run through-
out his creations. But subject matter
alone does not evoke the impression of a
child's picture book. It is also the way
Moulding handles these subjects.
The subjects of his silk screens are all
extremely large and void of any intri-
cate detail. This results in a work which
is extremely literal and easy to grasp.
There is no confusion as to his subjects,
for everything is clear and lies flatly on
picture surface. There is no trace of ab-
stractness in John Moulding's work.
These bold, straightforward silk
screens are said to reflect Moulding's
personality. Gallery director Clare
Spitler says, "Moulding is a very
honest, outgoing and direct young man.
His work is clear, concise and always
fresh."
Moulding's usage of color in his silk
screens is also literal, but only up to a
point. The color he chooses for a
specific object may be the same color of
the object in reality, but Moulding al-
ways uses the most blindingly vivid
tone the color will lend itself to. Water
is always an intense, bright blue. Grass
is a cool, even green. There are no
graduations of color, and shading of
any sort is non-existent.
In addition to using colors that are on
the most part literal, Moulding seems
to slip one or two unexpected, unreal-
istic colors into his silk screens. This
redeems what would have been a work
void of depth and personal character.
Moulding's usage of color in his silk
screens is also literal, but only up to a
point. The color he chooses for a specif-
ic object may be the same color of the
object in reality, but Moulding always
uses the most blindingly vivid tone the
color will lend itself to. Water is always
an intense, bright blue.
For example, Moulding's Fall is a
silk screen of six large leaves. The
colors, although basically the
traditional reds, yellows, and browns,
are taken to their brightest, most inten-
se shades. One lead is lemon yellow
with deep brown outlines, while another
is ruby red with flecks of chartreuse.
These leaves, rather than placed
against an earthy toned background
are contrasted against a background of
lime green with a pink and blue striped
border. Moulding combines the colors
of fantasy and reality, and by doing so
he turns a "cute" silk screen of fall
leaves into a balanced color composi-
tion with overall unity.
Although the majority of Moulding's
silk screens are pleasant, simple, cohe-
sive and just a bit shallow, there are
some that lack any artistic unity at all
and border on being disturbing.
Havanna is an example of this, con-
sisting of four subjects. The upper left
corner of the picture is occupied by a
beachball in mid air, beneath it is an
equestrian statue. Large green palms
loom out of the upper right corner. Pink
and yellow clouds are interspersed
throughout. The subjects chosen, their
placement and the usage of color
makes the work appear unlyrical, dis-
organized and confusing. The eye is
lost, unable to flow from one subject to
the next, and instead jumps
spasmodically from ball to statue to
palm leaves.
Moulding's few etchings differ from
his silk screens in that they permeate
traces of warmth, depth and texture.
He still uses simple subjects that would
appeal most directly to a child, yet
there are intricate patterns etched
within them. The veins in a wooden
duck and the checked pattern of a
harlequin's costume are easily recog-
nizable. The effect of the etchings is one
closer to classic beauty as opposed to
the silk screens which appear stark and
faddish.
Viewing Alan Moulding',s silk screens
and etchings is a fun, lighthearted and
pleasant experience as well as a revert
back.to childhood. They are neither ab-
stract, complex, nor introspective. Ev-
erything is so literally spelled out for
you in such bright, bold terms, that un-
fortunately, they require very little
thought.
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the artisits and craftsmen guild of the-university of michigan
invites you to an exhibition of ceramics, fibers, graphics,
jewelry, paintings, and-sculpture by 75 guild members.
grounds of community
k
s
high school, across
from the farmer's market
in ann arbor
saturday, oct. 1
8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
sunday, oct. 2
12 to 6 p.m.
U
HV/i A sug. retail 49.95
$29.84
" DECILITE DRIVER
" COVERS ENTIRE MUSIC RANGE
" LIGHTWEIGHT
U
K/ 6 LC Sug. retail $29.95
$16.84
" SLIDE VOLUME-BALANCE CONTROL
" SOFT EAR CUSHIONS
" SEALS OFF OUTSIDE AMBIENT NOISE
ac1b oIux
ADDRESS
TELEPHONE
RULES
1. You must be a U. of M. student.
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
Professional Theatre Program
GUEST ARTIST SERIES
USHER APPLICATION
NAME
ZIP CODE
U OF M I.D. NO. ___
2. You choose your series in order of preference.
3. Married students may send applications together.
4. This application MUST BE POSTED BY U.S. MAIL ON OR
AFTER FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1977. MAIL TO: Usher
Guest Artist Series, Mendelssohn Theatre, Ann,Arbor,
MI. 4s8109.
5. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope.
CHOICE PLEASE NUMBER CHOICE 1, 2, 3, etc.
SERIES A: (Wed. Eves.) Oct. 12, Nov. 30, Mar. 1, Apr. 19
SERIES B: (Thurs. Eves) Oct. 13, Dec. 1, Mar. 2, Apr. 20
Arts Brief
Poetry readings are a delightful and
frequent occurrence in Ann Arbor, "es-
pecially when the author is available to
lend the intended interpretation to his
or her own piece: Such will be the case
on Tuesday, October 4, when Michael
Harper, professor of English at Brown
University will read some of his works
at the Pendleton Room of the Michigan
Union at 4:10 p.m.
Harper has five published books of
poetry, his first of which, Dear John,
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