The Retort

An Impressive Idea Lacking Completion

January 29th, 2010 by Lou Donaldson Of The Retort Staff

The senior show entitled Perception by Zac Crane is a good idea that lacked the completion to make it effective. That said, the show is not all bad, and according to some students overheard while viewing this show, a little tweaking and the show would have been extraordinary.

The artist’s statement smacks of pompous blowhard whining: complaining about his personal loss, reawakening of self and about the “ indulgence towards commodity,” it makes one wonder who exactly will be cleaning up the pounds of salt that have been dumped upon the carpeted floor.

If one has not lost all sense of interest yet, they are confronted by what has been described as a primary English lesson, where one had to look up the meaning of words in the dictionary for busy work.

If by some miracle these two mentally draining blocks have not removed the viewer’s curiosity, there lies yet the largest mind-numbing eyesore of the exhibition. Within the gallery is a huge cardboard arch, slapped together with packing/duct tape. This eye sore is thoroughly unappealing and is the final, if not the only, needed coffin nail in the viewer’s interest in the show. Shoddy craftsmanship in one piece can kill a show, and this death was painful.

Following at a close second to the cardboard eyesore are the “buildings” made out of what appears to be an old rather brightly colored tent(s). This piece is complete with zipper door and window screen and bungee cords of the tent, along with excess material that hasn’t been hidden in the slightest.

These pieces combined with the flowing fluffy attempt at a mushroom cloud imbued with mutilated teddy bears leads one to pinch the bridge of their nose and shake their head in disbelief at the level of quality displayed. The audio is a bit off for the exhibition, the heart beat is not nearly fast enough for the desired effect, given the rest of the room and the breathing that can be heard it sounds more like the breathing of a stalker on the phone.

As previously stated this show is not all bad, the Rorschach images on the walls throughout the gallery are really rather nice while the play of color found within them is intriguing to the point of making one come close for a better look at the very subtle detail of color transition found within. Another high note of this show is the handmade fabric mannequins; whether these are to represent dead bodies or those left in the aftermath is not certain but one can not overlook the time, effort and skill it took to make these representational pieces as well as the impact that they individually as “human beings” have upon the viewer.

For those interested in seeing Perception it is located in the student gallery on the first floor of the Liberal Arts Building.