Newspaper Jan Mot Afgiftekantoor 1000 Brussel 1 Verschijnt vijfmaal per jaar in V. U . Jan Mot januari – maart – mei – Antoine Dansaertstraat 190 augustus – oktober 1000 Brussel No. 91, maart 2014 Erkenningsnummer P309573 149 Jaargang 18 No. 91 The work was about “defin- Ing as experiencing.” Wha- Le work was about “defin- ing as experiencing.” Wha- The work was about “defin- ing as experiencing.” Wha- The work was about “defin- ing as experiencing.” Wha The work was about “defin- Robert Barry (advertisement) By in White from which the previous quote is Kathan Brown taken that we can’t be certain whether or not he actually did anything with gasses. 14 9 “The thing I remember about Robert Bar- The work was about “defining as experi- ry,” a friend said to me when I mentioned I encing.” What we are sure he did do was Exhibition Opening was writing this essay, “Is going into what have printed an announcement that said: 5/4 – 17/5 5/4 18 – 20h seemed to be an empty gallery – I think it was 1970 – and seeing people walking ROBERT BARRY, New York around looking up over their heads. I Inert gas series, 1969; Helium (2 cubic feet) couldn’t see what they were looking at until Description: Sometime during the morning I found a wall label that explained that the of March 5, 1969, 2 cubic feet of Helium ROBERT room contained a frequency band of radio will be released into the atmosphere. waves running a few feet from the ceiling. BARRY Well, after that I looked up, too. Of course, A person reading the announcement might radio waves are always there, everywhere, envision the activity, and taking time to do but the surprise of having someone call that, might continue on in his mind to real- your attention to them like that – well, it ize the concept – perhaps the one I quoted ONLY was visual, although you couldn’t really see from the artist, perhaps a part of it, perhaps anything.” a different one. It doesn’t matter what con- cept he grasped, so long as something In collaboration with Robert Barry invented invisible visual art. occurred to him. “It’s about people adding, Galerie Greta Meert He did a number of works with radio waves. not adding what, I don’t care what they He worked with radioactive material, and add”, Barry says. Jan Mot with inert gasses. He speaks about the gas- Rue Antoine Dansaertstraat 190 ses this way: Barry learned about using material in art 1000 Brussels, Belgium school; he was a painter and (minimal) The thing about the inert gas was that inert sculptor before he began to work with lan- is an important word. It doesn’t mix with guage. He studied under Robert Mother- it. But, being an artist, he did try, and that anything else; one could say that a particu- well at Hunter College, but rejected abstract resulted in the works I have just described. lar body of gas, although expanding and expressionism as it was being taught in all It is important to realize that, while he was changing, is essentially the same. It’s not art schools at that time (1961-3). One thing thinking, he did not figure it out and then going to change into something else. It’s he learned from abstract expressionists, write it down so others could see what he really permanent – there was also the idea however, and still believes firmly, is that saw. What he did was use the material of that the gas comes from the atmosphere and “making art is really about doing. It’s not language in order to think about it. what I did was simply to return it, complete really about making things. And the thing the cycle of returning it to the atmosphere. must always just be what happens while An absurdly elusive subject that preoccu- you’re doing something interesting.” What pied Barry for several years in the early That is a concept, a concept that the work he was doing that was interesting, after 1970’s was art. Here is one of his works produced in the mind of the artist – and per- about 1968 when he gave up painting and from that time (1972): haps in the minds of “viewers.” My notion sculpture in favor of using language sculp- that conceptual art consists of (1) idea, (2) turally, was thinking. He was thinking about It work, and then concept is really put to the “the absurdity of trying to understand or should remain the way it is test here. If you read this description care- grasp anything which doesn’t seem obvi- could be in trouble fully, however, you will see that the idea ous.” Infinity for instance: “gas endlessly has possibilities Barry started with was a word, “inert” – or expanding in the atmosphere, or radio could become familiar perhaps two words “inert gas”. He wanted waves... even when you turn the thing off it will lead to something else to use these words as material to make art. just continues endlessly going out into may be a success Barry points out in the interview with Rob- space.” Perhaps it is absurd to try to grasp isn’t necessary 2 Newspaper Jan Mot Robert Barry 149 3 Newspaper Jan Mot New space 149 implies things his own thoughts. The function of art and tion, you know, we can move, interpret, we conversations, affecting us without our real- is own thoughts. The function of art and the cription of a performance of Barry’s which could be misunderstood the artist is to make us aware, to cause us to can find out. izing it. It was a full evening. artist is to make us aware, to cause us to I attended recently (1978). It was held at is public expand our comprehension of life. “Are you expand our comprehension of life. “Are you MOCA, the Museum of Conceptual Art, in will please some trying to convey some kind of information And finally, he goes on to describe his atti- It has been seven years since I first encoun- trying to convey some kind of information San Francisco. There is a large gallery area has been tampered with to people?” Robin White asked Barry. tude towards using the etching process. He tered Barry’s work in Rome. It seems so to people?” Robin White asked Barry. upstairs and an old and comfortable bar fits in speaks clearly; I cannot improve on his simple, now, so elegant and so compelling downstairs. Announcements had been sent isn’t presented everywhere “Yes,” he replied. “But I’m not trying to words: that I can hardly believe that I thought then “Yes,” he replied. “But I’m not trying to out, and the bar was crowded. Barry was is among other things teach them anything”. When I read that that I couldn’t understand it. It has been teach them anything”. When I read that present, sitting in the bar drinking and talk- can be objected to reply, something came into my mind that I like the idea of cutting into the metal. It’s more than a decade that Barry has been reply, something came into my mind that ing with people. The work was on a tape could be elsewhere Eric Hoffer said: “In a time of drastic much slower (than drawing) for one thing… working with language, and his works has Eric Hoffer said: “In a time of drastic and was broadcast upstairs and downstairs is part of something larger change, it is the learners who will inherit It becomes very much involved with the change, it is the learners who will inherit simultaneously for about two hours. It con- might be featured the earth. The learned will find themselves actual making of the word, especially when the earth. The learned will find themselves sisted of Barry’s voice, roundly pronounc- is dependent well-equipped for the world of the past.” We you have to do it backwards, you know. It’s y mind that Eric Hoffer said: “In a time of well-equipped for the world of the past.” We ing words, with long spaces of silence in effects other things can learn from Barry’s work without his really hard and you think very much about drastic change, it is the learners who will can learn from Barry’s work without his between each oncription of a performance is individual teaching us so long as we don’t think of our- making each one – they don’t flow. You have inherit the earth. The learned will find teaching us so long as we don’t think of our- of Barry’s which I attended recently (1978). will be repeated selves as learned, so long as we are open to to be disciplined, have an incredible themselves well-equipped for the world of selves as learned, so loe learners who will It was held at MOCA, the Museum of Con- is limited suggestion. amount of concentration…I hadn’t really the past.” We can learn from Barry’s work inherit the earth. The learned will find ceptual Art, in San Francisco. There is a can be accounted for thought about this at all before, except wiy mind that Eric Hoffer said: “ themselves well-equipped fo large gallery area upstairs will cause problems By the time Barry came to make etchings at sometimes in the sound pieces, where you was anticipated Crown Point Press (January of 1978), he really – after awhile you just think about the may fail was using words as discrete forms on or air coming up out of your throat, coming should be left alone around the edges of a sheet of paper, “acti- out of your mounth, your tongue, the damp- isn’t possessed vating” the page.