Visual Art Apr 20, 2011 at 4:00 am

The Empty Sculpture Standing Between You and Your Country

It might get you tackled and taken in for questioning. Courtesy The Artists

Comments

1
I love this piece.
2
I would so totally get arrested, standing awestruck in front of it, close up, my car dumped on the shoulder, staring at the welds and the pieces and marvelling at how they form an airy foam of metal.
3
It really is spectacular and a shame that it's not accessible to the public. I mean really, tackling a guy that got out of his car to take a picture. That's terrorists 1, reasonable art lovers 0.
4
This piece extends the meaning of form to that of transcendence in exhibited space. Its fabricated delicacy and float-like value serve as the impetus toward questions regarding placement and measurement of surroundings. It being on the Canadian border with a slightly presumptuous understanding of how the piece would be viewed (nervous cars passing by, supposedly uninterested guards, etc), there appears to be a sense of a test being at play. On one end there are the artists themselves awaiting the response of the public, and on another is the Earth itself - personifying into a generous and ever-extending canvas. However, when we refer to the piece as our "friend" I wonder, strongly and critically, that the very labeling of this "friend" is due to the separation some of us passively accept; that of the onlooker who is interested and appreciative versus the stubborn and dismissive. How quick and proud it can seem to react immediately to the separation this piece elevates or magnifies rather than the possibility of something more inclusive.
5
Uhhh, didn't you ALREADY cover this disappointment once already,babe? Its just sort a dumb n' sad( not to mention dull) that you are trying to dig up a good ol fashioned scandal to give it a much needed, importance(?!?) And anyway, have you traveled anywhere lately and dealt with ANY security etc? Comes as predictable in my book babe. Oh well. Dullsville
USA at stranger viz art yet again.
6
Billboards or signs are meant to advertise or alert an audience about a particular piece of information. Typically, we encounter these kinds of things all the while only giving them a glance, if that, before we pass it by. This occurs most frequently when driving. We quickly take in the information provided by the billboard or sign then move right along without much afterthought. We are being inundated with information in this context all of the time to the point where we glance, process, and move right along all within a three-second period. However, rather than a billboard or sign the negative space made by the metal rods could also be read as a frame. In this case, a landscape is featured within the frame, which is a more than common theme presented in visual art, yet it is different because it is framing a live landscape which alters depending not only on the position of the viewer but also on what is going on in the landscape at that precise moment. A system of power at play in this piece is information, or lack thereof and who is presenting it.

Does there really have to be some deeper meaning behind this piece other than the fact that it is framing a landscape on each side of the border? Sometimes I think art is over-criticized or sometimes people simply think too much about a piece of art and are picking it apart in order to try and reveal some hidden meaning. I’m not necessarily saying that this is the case for this particular piece of art but it is something to think about. I also find it funny that most people when in a museum or gallery spend only about three seconds viewing a piece of work before moving on to the next but now that they aren’t exactly allowed to stop and view this piece and now they're wanting to stop their car and get a good look at it is a curious observation.
7
I like the idea that a billboard exists while at the same time does not. It is an open form. I would say that the system of power at play is the government because they commissioned Lead Pencil Studio to make the piece yet the guards at the boarder crossing do not have a positive attitude towards it and taking pictures or slowing down is not encouraged (to say the least.) Why would the government decide to commission a piece like this and not want people to be able to get a good look or really appreciate it?
8
As @jengraves pointed out, there is clearly some socio-political agenda here in "Non-Sign II." The emptiness of the commercial billboard implies that there is a void or "displacement" of identity when it comes to National Security. Generally, advertisements attempt to isolate certain qualities of a person in order to draw the attention of a specific demographic. For instance, an commercial for a Budweiser might employ "manly" men drinking beer as to draw in other men, wishing to be "manly." Nevertheless, Han and Mihalyo remove any sense of individuality and instead, we either become those that make its through security or those who do not. In this way the small blackened metal rods seem to represent how as a society we tend to lump everyone together in specific categories, forming one define mass of people.
The political message is obvious,yet the power systems at play are a bit less conspicuous. The placement of the art work makes its all the more desirable to the viewer, who is limited in to actually see the work. It was commissioned by the government, yet it critiques it as well. It is a work of art, yet we can't really look at it. Thus, the viewer seems to be attracted by the works contradictions. The fact that it sits in the border between Canada and the US creates the buzz, regardless of it's content. It doesn't really matter if it's about the environment or immigration or whatever, what matters is that it is controversial and thus, desirable. What would we say if it was located on the Mexican border instead?
9
The space of Non-Sign advertises everything and nothing. Since there is nothing advertised in the space the scenery becomes the advertisement and moment between the audience and the work is in passing only. The absence of obvious advertising seems to raise more interest in viewing the work but it would seem that you can't really get a good look at it without looking suspicious. To be honest it wouldn't surprise me if this work met the same fate as Tilted Arc. A billboard imposes a presence that is unsettling since it cuts into a natural environment to remind everyone that there is something they must be aware of and buy for various, asinine reasons; a token of American consumerism. This critiques an aspect of the government that commissioned it. What is being advertised to us here since it encompasses everything and nothing in particular?
10
Practically every country border has a statue of someone or something - how is this any different? Both are equally open in terms of form and both hold a powerful message or story in their own right. Obviously, however, the piece in question is more complex than these simple facts. Most notably, the lack of accessibility. I find it interesting that the government, who holds the power and commission, situated the piece in such a tempting location - calling people to approach it - only to be scolded for doing so. In the long run, what does this say about government funding (or more currently, lack of) and the unnerving control they have on the art community - or any community for that matter?
11
When examining a work of art, there is always the question of message – what is meant to be articulated through the piece. ‘Non-Sign’ contradicts this, Mihalyo referring to it as ‘-a piece that negates itself’. But what is it negating? The unavoidable political insinuations of the location and the clear reference to a billboard creates an expectation of a comment on both, but rather is says nothing. Perhaps we are to realize our imposing of these implications on to nothing, which is certainly something. It’s decisive negation of a view or message creates almost a more powerful one.
Public art placed in a location not easily viewed by the public, much less the art appreciating public, creates another paradox and contributes to the unattainable spirit of the piece. By Han and Mihalyo creating a piece that is so easily overlooked, ‘Non-Sign’ becomes sought after.
12
I had the chance to see this piece towards the end of March on my way back from a trip. I'm sure the people who were riding in my car could vouch for how much I freaked out because of my excitement. I wish I had documented my reaction to relay it to everyone now. The work is poetic, its delicate nature somehow makes a bold statement. It also reads much like drafting, with short sketch lines, it manifests itself in a way that I thought only 2D drawings could do. I especially like the break in the "billboard" at the top, it allows the negative space to have movement, as if the sky were pouring into the frame. What I appreciate most about this piece is that lack of stagnation.
As we rolled up to the border patrol I did have the intention of asking the guard about the work, but in the same theme of the above article, my awe of the piece was interrupted by the brass & cacophonous presence of a sassy guard. It really relays to the politics of the work I'm sure. The opinion revolving from government towards the art now almost seems one of annoyance...looking towards reactions about cutbacks especially. No respect. Especially the dynamics involved in border patrol, it's necessary but it's like getting a tooth pulled...painful.

The work should be delved into, a feel as though it is a refuge of calmness that border crossers can go into, much like the arch that you see when crossing into Canada. If people would ignore their first inclinations towards annoyance, they might find something much more. The border paranoia might find some settling in the work, some peace of mind.
13
Historically, Billboards are advertisements, designed to create revenue for a company. The whole point is capital. The beauty of "non-sign II" is that is calling that out, Capital is "removed" from the piece, which forces us to consider what was there before it was empty. The different views of usa gas, or nature take on the lens of capitalism. How is nature capital? is it? I believe that it is! The systems of powers are being called out and revealed through looking at what has always been there but with a validating frame around it. Is a frame, or validation needed to call what has always been there out?
14
"It's a piece that negates itself." This contradiction inherit to Non-Sign II is emblematic of both a majority of contemporary art as well as a larger statement of the entanglement of advertising with the natural world. The most intriguing aspect of this work is the fact that it is not easily accessible, and this reflects (in some way) how advertising and the world of media hinders peoples from accessing and understanding the natural world. I may be extrapolating too much from this work, but I guess that perhaps that is what Han and Mihalyo were aiming at; a work so simple and ambiguous that it can endlessly contemplated and scrutinized.
The forces at play are clear, and the relationship that the guards hold with the work is one that is fascinating. In a sense, it showcases the hierarchical power systems that facilitate the production of such a piece. By this I mean, how detached the funding is from the work, how emphatic the placement is, how separated the workers and others in the environment are from the work (including passerbys), and so on.
The title of the work sparks an interesting debate. The work is reminiscent as a sign, but is a non-sign, and thus cannot be judged in the same respect as signs. Is there a point to this complexity? Is it simply pretentious? Does it really attain the goal set out by the artists?

...or, perhaps, was their goal to have such discussion/questions proposed?
16
YIKES!!!! SUBVERSION!!!!!! Horror Vacuii filled by lsla14, and other comments as well. If only the Non-Sign could be filled with all the ongoing comments that wind up here; including the comments by Customs, the bureaucratic process and the MONEY INVOLVED. Well...afterall BC is SUPERNATURAL!! G. Tuton
17
YIKES! SUBVERSION! HORROR VACUII filled by lsla14 (Love it) and other comments above (as well as this one). It seems unfortunate that the Non-Sign cannot filled with the cost of doing the business of Art, the bureaucratic process, as well as Cuctoms' comments. We all know, through Advertising, that BC is Simply SUPERNATURAL!
G. Tuton
18
Good Grief! Posted twice. How did that happen? The Non-Sign is filling up fast!
19
''my opinion stays with me'' radical
20
Wikipedia describes the billboard as being placed in a high traffic area to target consumers. The sign is definitely placed in a high traffic area at the border. And what you wonder is the sign advertising? I think it’s advertising our country. Our country is our capital. The “Non-Sign II” is positioned in a way that everyone who passes by it gets a different view. Depending on which lane you’re in, what time of day it is, what time of year, etcetera, you’re always going to get a different view. It’s in this plethora of views that our country is our capital. This is what you get when you enter America: everyone is different and everyone has a different view to express. This “Non-Sign” gives you a glimpse of what the American populace is. I really think it is genius of the U.S. government to commission such a piece right at the border. The work almost serves as self-promotion, without having to directly say anything.
21
A - The disassembling of the Berlin Wall mixed with the front gates of Auschwitz (Arbeit Macht Frei)

R - Political associations (whether they are for or against, governmental or artistic)

T - Is it vanishing and relinquishing the anxiety felt about boarder control or vanishing to showcase the diminishing relationship between a body of people and their governing body of authority?
22
When I look at this piece, I cannot help but be reminded of previous discussions on Malevich’s Black Square, in the sense that the work implies everything by giving you nothing. The allusion to a billboard fits into this concept as well. Expecting to be told to buy, visit, or do something, you cannot help but dwell on the vast nothingness these artists present to you as you drive past. It’s placement on the boarder of the U.S. and Canada reveals very definite powers at play. Like you said, at the moment of crossing our identities are dwindled down to criminal or non-criminal and the sculpture, with its millions of pieces that create the whole, reflects our recovery as we rebuild those identities. In that sense, the work is very personal but the fact that it was commissioned by the government broadens the discussion beyond the individual to the identities of the two nations on the larger scale.

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