it's over. move to somnia.

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Origami

I went to the Oakland Museum Sunday to check out the Ruth Asawa art exhibit. Although I'm not normally a big fan of sculpture, I was really impressed by her work: twisted wire that resembled desert brambles while merging stars and circles; crocheted wire that reminded me of pottery, curtains, and intestines all at once; a multitude of face masks painted in arbitrary skin colors. All amazing.

What's more, the exhibit included a section illustrating how she was actually the matriarch of a large and diversely artistic family: it included a section showcasing her daughter's intricate and beautiful origami, her grandson's paintings, her husband's personalized envelopes...and a framed newspaper article featuring by a large photo of a halfpipe wave.

The story detailed how a family of five had been at the beach when their little girl had been sucked in by the undertow; as they tried (one by one) to retrieve her, they were eventually all getting pulled under. Ruth Asawa's son, who had been surfing nearby, managed to save them all with his board.

I know the question What is Art? has been asked many times and in many contexts, but this was one of those cases when it struck me particularly hard. Her son hadn't created anything tangible like his relatives had, but a memento of his act of preserving life was hanging in a gallery alongside their creations. It made me a little dizzy to think about.
peachy as always, Mike at 12:54 PM