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September 12, 2006
Noguchi Visit
I took the F train to Roosevelt Island and was struck immediately by the contrast between the skyline of Manhattan on one side of the island and a huge industrial complex on the other. From there I walked to the Noguchi Museum by using the large Costco Building as my beacon.
The Museum had a nice layout and vibe with half of the work outdoor (or semi-outdoor) and half inside in spaces that felt much more sterile (and air conditioned). When I was outside I payed much less attention to the sculpture and I wonder if this was Noguchi's purpose... perhaps wanting to obtain the Japanese garden feel or something.
I watched the video and I think was key. Not being very familiar with Noguchi before this day, the video gave me a nice context of his life and work. Also finding the little laminated brochures/guides helped as these provided the names of each piece (went through an entire room before realizing these were available). The Hiroshima memorial was the work that struck me the most, for both aesthetic and political reasons. The way Noguchi approached this as an American with Japanese roots and the political context is one thing, but his execution is another entirely. The sculpture strikes me as the dark mushroom cloud looming over... and based on the photograph I take it that there is a second level where the ashes would be held of many of the victims. I love the way the "legs" of the cloud extend down through the divide and remain on the sides like pillars with the ashes between. Very powerful. I cannot believe this project has never been fully realized and given a home in Hiroshima.
Posted by Charles Miller at September 12, 2006 12:02 PM