a sea of plastic cups

Jessie: Flicking through Art in America, June July 2006, and saw this work by Tara Donovan on page 185. Untitled (Plastic Cups), 2006, is made from thousands of plastic cups (funnily enough) stacked in varying heights to create a rolling landscape inside the gallery. It measures 50 by 60 feet, and 5 feet at its tallest point.

It reminds me of snow on the ground, or clouds as you fly through them. Either way, there is a softness to them, which is not something you would not usually get from plastic cups. The work also seems very fluid, like the surface of the ocean or something, as though its shape could change at any moment. The fact that it won't though, gives the impression that it is caught in time. There is a nice relationship too between this fluid-ness and the the usual function of the material. The work apparantly incorporated light which changed with the differing heights of the cups and the lower stacks gave off a blue-grey light, from the concrete floor. The luminosity was also altered throughout the day, depending on the amount of light that came through the gallery's skylights.
Donovan is known for her use of inexpensive everyday materials, which she uses by the thousands. In the past has also used toothpicks, pins, and paper plates, like the work below. I like the way that she takes ordinary objects and puts them completely out of context, and you really have to think about it to see what the material is. One of the most interesting things I find about these works, is that they invite touch. While looking at lots of examples, I have had an overwhelming desire to reach out and run my hand along the surface. I know that it won't feel anything like I imagine, but I just really want to touch them.




Images from: www.artcritical.com/gelber/images/donovan1.jpg
www.artcal.net/static/artcal-images/0/821.jpeg
mocoloco.com/art/archives/001293.php