Stefan H. Verstappen
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CNN Reporter Phil Taggart reports on Tubular Zen and Ventura's Public art program. 

 

 

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HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?
Tim Pompey
Nov. 5, '08

Take a stroll through the plaza near the Ventura boardwalk and you might do a double-take. Part Stonehenge, part science fiction, you can't help but notice the most recent exhibit sponsored by the City of Ventura Public Arts Program entitled Tubular Zen. Designed by Ventura artist Stefan Verstappen, it is "meant to be as big as possible with a minimal amount of material." And for good reason. Verstappen built it in his apartment.

 

Five large pipes jut straight up, white interiors contrasted with bright blue sky, black exterior looking as ominous as Darth Vader. But walk around and inside the exhibit and you will find multiple possibilities for sensory perception, especially at night: beautiful lighting, buttons that play meditative sounds, vibrating metal. It's simple in design, complicated in character.

Verstappen is as complex as his artistic designs. Canadian born, his interest in art began as a teenager canoeing solo in the Algonquin Provincial Park. While there, he encountered the cabin of Tom Thomson, one of Canada's famous Group of Seven painters.

 Later he traveled for several years through Europe, then spent extensive time in China, studying the culture, working with acrylics, learning martial arts. Verstappen is one of the few westerners who can genuinely claim to be a Kung Fu master.

Tubular Zen is intended to be both interactive and multi-sensory. It combines the concepts of Zen, music education, and his interest in a condition called Synesthesia, occurring in one out of every 25,000 people, in which the different senses somehow become jumbled together and trade characteristics. Synesthetics can hear colors, taste shapes, or experience other strange sensory perception.

In this case, visitors can actually combine the five notes of the Japanese shakuhachi flute with multiple colors, giving the exhibition a musical and rainbow feel. As he describes it, Tubular Zen is a "cross-sensory experience where senses can actually perceive colors with notes."

For Verstappen, the design allows a large audience to enjoy the visual experience of sites like Stonehenge, the great Greek temples in Europe, or perhaps, as he quips, engage in a little imaginative science fiction. He refers to his work as a "tongue in cheek tribute to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey."

Tubular Zen is one of the city’s many active public arts projects and was recently featured in the city's fall ArtWalk. It will remain on display through November 19.

They showed up riding on the back of Harleys that roared into California plaza.

Three lithe female dancers dressed in black costumes, wearing black masks and fishnet stockings, disembarked from the back seats of three of America's iconic muscle machines. The Harley drivers positioned their headlights to illuminate the square, the dancers, and the five sombre black pillars that recently made their appearance there. Dozens of camera bulbs flashed.

I had my doubts this would all work out. I thought getting artists from another medium to participate in the reception would create a synergy of artistic styles. Robin Elander, public Affairs coordinator for the City of Ventura liked the idea. Somehow Robin found Pamela Pilkenton of the Ventura Pilates Studio who agreed to choreograph a performance for the artist's reception of Tubular Zen on the Saturday night of Ventura/s Harvest Artwalk.

It was Pamela who came up with the idea of having the dancers arrive on Harleys. At first I was skeptical, but then I thought, it's California after all, and god damn it we were all artists, so we are allowed to be a little, how do you say, kooky? So yeah, I liked the idea and so did Robin.

Stretch limos had recently pulled up and bevies of fashionably dressed young women exited the vehicles. They were part of a homecoming reception held at the Aloha Steak House, but they seemed a part of the celebration as well.

By the time the dancers arrived the square was filling up with people from the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Aloha Steakhouse and nearby promenade to see what all the noise and excitement was about. The dancers moved about the five pillars like sibyls in ecstatic trances. Then they would go into the crowd and lead an observer up the stairs and to one of the pillars. One-by-one men, women, and children were brought into the circle until all five pillars had a human guardian. Then they all pushed the buttons and the pillars jumped to life playing their eerie sounds and flashing lights. The Dancers bowed gracefully.

The performance over, the dancers mounted the Harleys and with one more ride around the pillars they waved goodbye to the wild applause from the crowd.

It was performance art combined with an art installation, combined with public participation, the true spirit of synesthesia, the founding philosophy behind Tubular Zen.

'Well that's not something you see everyday' I heard someone in the crowd say.

And so the purpose of art was fulfilled.

For a brief moment we experienced something new.


Artist's Reception Photo courtesy of Jared Kubler, Photo Journalism Student, Brooks Institute, 2008

 

Here's a clip of people interacting with the installation.

 
 
 
 

Radio

Listen to Stefan being interviewed on KCLU Radio Santa Barbara about the

City of Ventura Downtown Streetscape  Project

The Chinese Treasure Box - Main St. Figueroa Plaza

here: (5.55secs)

 
 
 
 

 

 
Stefan Verstappen
1746-F South Victoria Ave. PMB 313,
Ventura, CA, 93003
(805) 648-5655 E-mail: sverstappen@yahoo.com 
Website: http://www.chinastrategies.com/tubularzen.htm
 

Multi-sensory Art Installation is ' Tubular '

 Part Stonehenge, part science fiction, Canadian artist Stefan Verstappen's most recent exhibit entitled Tubular Zen, is intended to be both interactive and multi-sensory.

Touch any of its five giant black pillars arranged in a circle at California Street Plaza and "Tubular Zen"-a temporary public art installation by Stefan Verstappen - will respond with life force "chi" light, good vibrations and ancient "pentatonic" sounds from a Japanese Shakuhachi flute, once the sole preserve of Zen monks during meditation. When groups interact with the sculptures, layers of harmonic chords and a light show spectacle are triggered-sure to stimulate the conscious awareness and delight of children of all ages.

The Public Art Program invites the public to an opening reception and performance just after twilight on Saturday, October 18th during Harvest ArtWalk. The public may also meet the artist on site during Harvest ArtWalk on Saturday, October 18 from 2 to 3 pm.

This temporary work is created by Canadian artist Stefan H. Verstappen, a multi-media artist and writer, who has lived and traveled throughout China and East Asia. The display of Verstappen's work is made possible by the City of Ventura Public Art Program's P.L.A.C.E. Project (Public and Local Artists Creating Environments), which commissions temporary art installations throughout the city.
 

Sponsored by City of Buenaventura Cultural Affairs Division, Tubular Zen will run from Oct 18th to Nov. 19th at the California Plaza, Ventura, California.

 

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