FOR FRANCIS ALYS, PRACTICE IS PERFECT.Byline: >BY JIM Jim Miss Watson’s runaway slave; Huck’s traveling companion. [Am. Lit.: Huckleberry Finn] See : Escape FARBER >LA.COM (1) (Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. In the work of Belgian artist Francis Alys, the boundaries between conceptual art conceptual art Any of various art forms in which the idea for a work of art is considered more important than the finished product. The theory was explored by Marcel Duchamp from c. 1910, but the term was coined in the late 1950s by Edward Kienholz. , performance art, documentary art and fine art are decidedly blurred. There's even an element of theater of the absurd theater of the absurd: see drama, Western. that permeates the artist's creations, as when Alys had himself videotaped pushing a block of ice through the sweltering swel·ter·ing adj. 1. Oppressively hot and humid; sultry. 2. Suffering from oppressive heat. swel streets of Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi -- his home since 1986 -- until it turned into an ice cube. "Francis Alys: Politics of Rehearsal," on display at the Hammer Museum For The Hammer Museum in Haines, Alaska, see The Hammer Museum The Armand Hammer Museum of Art and Culture Center or the Hammer Museum as it is more commonly known, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, operated by UCLA. in Westwood through Feb. 10, represents the first major exhibition of Alys' creations in the U.S. The exhibit features several large-scale video installations, as well as the preparatory drawings that led up to their execution. The title refers to Alys' belief that the try-try-again process of rehearsal is, in essence, an end in itself. And he feels no need for a work to have a definitive resolution. A prime example is his 1999 piece "Rehearsal 1," in which the artist attempts to drive a red Volkswagen bug to the top of a steep hill Steep Hill is a popular tourist street in the historic city of Lincoln, UK. At the top of the hill you will find the entrance to the Cathedral and at the bottom is Well Lane. The Hill consists of independent shops, tea rooms and pubs. . His progress, however, is determined by the starting and stopping of a Mexican dance band. When they play, he surges ahead. But whenever their rehearsal grinds to a halt, he slides back down to the bottom of the hill. It's a playful piece, whose video documentation and musical accompaniment takes on the air of a Woody Allen escapade. Another gallery is devoted to Alys' 2002 cast-of-thousands project, "Faith Moves Mountains," in which the artist equipped a swarm of volunteers with shovels and directed them to "move" (however minimally) a giant sand-dune outside Lima, Peru. Is it art? Decide for yourself. Jim Farber (310) 540-5511, Ext. 416 jim.farber@dailybreeze.com FRANCIS ALYS: POLITICS OF REHEARSAL >When: On view 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays; 11a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays; through Feb.10. >Where: Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. >Admission: $5, $3 for seniors. >Information: (310) 443-7000 or www.hammer.ucla.edu. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) The Francis Alys exhibit "The Politics of Rehearsal" includes a videotape of the artist pushing a block of ice in Mexico City, above. In "Faith Moves Mountains," volunteers try to move a massive sand dune in Peru, below. |
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