The Noguchi museum was a calming experience. Sculptures scattered throughout, aptly decorating their surroundings. It reminded me more of a gallery rather than a crowded museum. It was especially engaging, given that another artist was on display for the first time. The tea ceremony section in the center of the museum is Tom Sachs’ tribute, or response to Isamu Noguchi and his legacy; the visiting artist altered. In this piece, Sachs retains his carpenter, mixed media aesthetic and reinvigorates it with Japanese influences. I chose a piece from each artist.
The Noguchi sculpture I chose is a proposed design titled “Memorial to the Dead of Hiroshima.” It was designed and/or made between 1952-1982. The recreated model is made of Brazilian granite. The base is stainless steel and wood. The piece is subtractive, yet additive as well if you count the base. From my understanding, Noguchi was ordered to create this design as a proposal for a memorial. It was rejected and instead this smaller scaled sculpture was created years after. Although the design was made for a very specific purpose, you can still recognize many of the essential Noguchi trademarks. Such as the use of different materials – granite, steel, wood – the actual full-sized memorial might’ve contained more. However, I didn’t interpret the same emotionally driven use of different materials in this sculpture, as I did with other Noguchi’s. Consideration of how the sculpture affects the space it occupies is also evident. If the actual memorial was made, and assuming a person could walk through the negative space in the center, you can imagine a sense of weight and darkness would surround the viewer standing in the center. From a distance it feels as if the sculpture is in a constant state of expansion. The geometric lines carved on the surface of the sculpture reinforce this sense of outward movement, almost like a giant grenade ready to pop. I searched up the actual Hiroshima model and it’s definitely not as enticing as Noguchi’s. I plan to do more research on why exactly this design was rejected, if a reason even exists. The Tom Sachs piece I chose is more lighthearted, almost comical, and yet devilish. It’s a mixed-media sculpture. I couldn’t find any information about it online. It additively incorporates many miscellaneous objects found in an alcoholic-junkie-carpenter’s toolbox. Many of the items are engraved with words relating to ‘evil’ in one way or another. Though overwhelming at first, after a solid minute, I felt a sense of organized chaos being represented. Whereas Noguchi attempts to communicate a strong message with simplicity and elegance, Sachs seems to take the complete opposite approach. However, although this piece, seems congested with superfluous items, it should be noted that all the objects create a strong sense of harmony, very much like Noguchi’s, just in a different way. It seems almost unrealistic to imagine this sculpture, or any Sachs sculpture, with any of the objects missing.
Each of Noguchi’s sculptures produces an isolated story and emotional message with ease and grace. The environment felt serene and perfectly in sync. I regret not taking more time to walk around each sculpture, to fully take in the perspective and message. The wide-open space allows your thoughts to roam unrestrained. The lack of labels and descriptions added a unity between the sculptures. It also produced a sense of mystery, and I feel a strong need to return and learn more about each individual piece and its place in Noguchi’s timeline. Tom Sachs added an inviting dynamic between simplicity and complexity. In the future, I hope more contemporary sculptors host their work at the Noguchi museum. Seeing one artist directly respond to another was something I had not previously experienced.
The Noguchi museum was a calming experience. Sculptures scattered throughout, aptly decorating their surroundings. It reminded me more of a gallery rather than a crowded museum. It was especially engaging, given that another artist was on display for the first time. The tea ceremony section in the center of the museum is Tom Sachs’ tribute, or response to Isamu Noguchi and his legacy; the visiting artist altered. In this piece, Sachs retains his carpenter, mixed media aesthetic and reinvigorates it with Japanese influences. I chose a piece from each artist.
The Noguchi sculpture I chose is a proposed design titled “Memorial to the Dead of Hiroshima.” It was designed and/or made between 1952-1982. The recreated model is made of Brazilian granite. The base is stainless steel and wood. The piece is subtractive, yet additive as well if you count the base. From my understanding, Noguchi was ordered to create this design as a proposal for a memorial. It was rejected and instead this smaller scaled sculpture was created years after. Although the design was made for a very specific purpose, you can still recognize many of the essential Noguchi trademarks. Such as the use of different materials – granite, steel, wood – the actual full-sized memorial might’ve contained more. However, I didn’t interpret the same emotionally driven use of different materials in this sculpture, as I did with other Noguchi’s. Consideration of how the sculpture affects the space it occupies is also evident. If the actual memorial was made, and assuming a person could walk through the negative space in the center, you can imagine a sense of weight and darkness would surround the viewer standing in the center. From a distance it feels as if the sculpture is in a constant state of expansion. The geometric lines carved on the surface of the sculpture reinforce this sense of outward movement, almost like a giant grenade ready to pop. I searched up the actual Hiroshima model and it’s definitely not as enticing as Noguchi’s. I plan to do more research on why exactly this design was rejected, if a reason even exists. The Tom Sachs piece I chose is more lighthearted, almost comical, and yet devilish. It’s a mixed-media sculpture. I couldn’t find any information about it online. It additively incorporates many miscellaneous objects found in an alcoholic-junkie-carpenter’s toolbox. Many of the items are engraved with words relating to ‘evil’ in one way or another. Though overwhelming at first, after a solid minute, I felt a sense of organized chaos being represented. Whereas Noguchi attempts to communicate a strong message with simplicity and elegance, Sachs seems to take the complete opposite approach. However, although this piece, seems congested with superfluous items, it should be noted that all the objects create a strong sense of harmony, very much like Noguchi’s, just in a different way. It seems almost unrealistic to imagine this sculpture, or any Sachs sculpture, with any of the objects missing. 
Your did an excellent job writing about the materials/visual elements Jonathan! So happy that you got a lot out of the trip!
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