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MARK HARRIS | Work
and Commentary
Sound Installation
Out Of This World, 2001, paintings
are approx 36"x30" each; oil on burlap, with inserted
speakers, table, record player, 12" record.
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A sample from a John Coltrane recording from 1965 is looped so that
the saxophone appears to sustain a high note for ten mintues. It
plays through three speakers embedded in the paintings. These depict
details from an Ungaro design of the late 1960s. Visitors can put
the needle on the record, or take it off, as they wish. Of the two
Coltrane versions of "Out of this World" that I know, I use the shorter
and more rehearsed version (the "Live in Seattle" recording
is altogether wilder). I want to consider here how the performance
of improvisation comes to be valued. At the end of a brief melodic
intro Coltrane holds a high note on the saxophone for a few seconds
before returning to the melody. Applause rises as the note fades.
The paintings employ traditional paint mediums—Venice turpentine,
Damar varnish, Sun-thickened linseed oil—to cultivate an
appearance and smell of something old-fashioned. In this sense the
piece pays homage to a culture of improvisational painting and music
that is implausible, or at best nostalgic.
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On
Aspects of the Avant-garde | Table
of Images
Contributor's
Notes |
