Event 3 - The Hammer Museum

          I visited the Hammer Museum for the first time on June 4. Being that the museum is a short 5 minute walk from UCLA, I have always passed by the building on my drive back home from school. Upon entering the lower level, I have to say that I really enjoyed the environment. With greenery and plenty of tables and chairs, the museum offers a relaxing environment for an afternoon stroll viewing interesting art. One of the many things that stood out to me and that I found to be very true after viewing the different works at the Hammer is that the museum really does champion "art and artists who challenge us to see the world in a new light, to experience the unexpected, to ignite our imaginations, and inspire change" (Hammer Museum). 

"Men on the Line: Men Committed to 

Feminism, KPFK, 1972, (2012/2014)."

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

          

          My first stop was at the video installation by Andrea Fraser. Before entering, the nice young lady working there was very kind enough to warn me that the room was very dark and not to be alarmed, as the image above shows. This installation is a great example of how technological advancements have allowed for more and more artists to use technology as a medium for expressing their work. Fraser is a performance artist and has gained a lot of attention through her works and performances that integrate institutional critique with humor and pathos. Specifically for this work, she created a script from a Pacific Radio recording of four men expressing their support for women's rights. The video installation consists of a vertically long, but short width screen, where Fraser presents this group discussion by herself. In her performance, she mimics each of the four men, as she wears masculine clothing and heavily emphasizes on the men's struggles with feminism and masculinity. The intent of her reperformance is to show how our pre-defined identities that are enforced upon us by society might refrain from their gendered positions to generate empathy and care.

"Up Close in Distance (bars, flags, pools)."

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

          My attention was also drawn to Los Angeles artist Yunhee Min's installation for the Hammer lobby, titled Up Close in Distance (bars, flags, pools).While we are so used to seeing painting hanging on the walls of museums in an upright position, this installation was very interesting because it did the exact opposite, which was refreshing to see. Min's piece unfolds not vertically, but horizontally as you walk up or down the stairs of the museum's lobby. The piece is intentionally disoriented by the artist, as to increase our awareness of our surroundings. After spending some time viewing this installation, it was remarkable to see how it clearly related back to what we learned about in our unit on math and art, as it serves as a contemporary example of an artist incorporating math, in this case, different geometric shapes, such as triangular wedge shapes ("flags") and marble baseboards ("bars") into her work. 

Me with a Hammer Employee 

(photo © by Mariana Mkrttchyan)

          While we often assume that museums just contain art, my experience at the Hammer shows otherwise. I believe that we can overcome this misconception only after we open our minds and stop thinking about the divide between the arts and sciences that has been so deeply engrained in our society. I believe that we then will see how technology, math, and science can be found at an art museum like the Hammer. I would definitely recommend you visit the Hammer to experience these installations and to experience the unexpected. My visit here has definitely inspired and sparked a lot of great ideas for my final paper.

Sources:
 The Hammer Museum, https://hammer.ucla.edu/.