This art report is done on Alice Aycock’s piece called Park Avenue Paper Chase done in 2014.
Immediate Response
When I first looked at this piece, I was very interested in how the entire piece was installed in different locations as you go down the street. I was also intrigued by how large each piece was. I thought about walking down the street and continuing to see parts of the installation at different blocks. What stood out to me was how the pieces all seemed to swirl around each other, and the materials made them very aesthetically pleasing to look at. At first glance, it made me think of a tornado or large gust of wind that can make leaves on the sidewalk swirl around, especially in the fall.
Objective Description
This piece is made up of large sculptures placed at different locations down a street, in the grass areas between both sides of the road. Each is made out of large white pieces of metal that are either long and skinny, or shorter and wide, but each piece is very flat. All the pieces of metal create a swirl, similar to looking at the pedals of a rose, but as if it was made out of paper. Each piece has a bunch or bunches of ‘swirls’ or ‘roses’ that are then placed together. Some are much looser than others, almost as though air could pass through each piece of metal, while some are more tightly placed.
Technical Decisions
This sculpture is made out of large white sheets of metal. By making each piece the same white color, it creates a piece that stands out in the busy city, and likely creates a glare from the sun, making them bright to look at. It creates a uniform look down the street and makes it easy to know what pieces go together down the street where it is located. The location of the piece makes it hard to miss because someone walking down the street would continue to see pieces of the art, making it easy to remember. The swirls in the piece convey a feeling of wind and movement, as it looks like paper is being swirled around.
The Work in the World
I think one way the piece of artwork relates to the item in the real world is by looking similar to paper or a flower. The large white pieces that make up the piece make it look as though the sculpture is a representation of paper being carried in the wind. The title ‘Park Avenue Paper Chase’ hints at the idea that it is meant to show a piece of paper being carried by the wind down the street. Some of the sculptures also look similar to flower petals, which conveys a sense of beauty in the pieces.
The Story It Tells
Having analyzed this piece, to me it seems like this piece could represent what New York City represents, that being millions of people chasing their careers, and chasing advancements in their careers. The sculpture seems to represent paper, and as the paper is taken down Park Avenue, it may represent people running down the street chasing a piece of paper, similar to how people can chase promotion to the next job, always waiting for the next best thing. I think the placement of NYC is also intentional, as it is a massive city that is home to thousands of companies, including Wall Street, which helps manage the world’s economy.