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
HAVE YOU SEEN THIS?
They showed up riding on the back of Harleys
that roared into California plaza. 