With Andrea
Zittel's recent project "Raugh" (pronounced "raw"), the
quirky utopianism long apparent in her work has become even
more pronounced, and in refreshingly lively ways. The two
large mounds of gray foam rubber that dominated the gallery
are examples of a new line of Zittel's A-Z furniture. While
they are meant to suggest looming outdoor rock formations,
what they actually resemble are convincing movie-set props.
You could sit or lie on them while perusing various books
and magazines that were scattered about, bringing a welcome
note of freedom and relaxation to the gallery. Disarmingly
humorous, these massive mounds effectively upend the implicit
behavioral codes of traditional furniture, which typically
molds your body to this or that "appropriate" posture. They
are startlingly comfortable, so much so that you almost
forgot how unusual it was to be lounging on a sculpture
in the middle of a gallery.
Meanwhile, a television set in the corner played a promotional
video touting not only this special furniture but the idea
of "raugh" as a comprehensive lifestyle. Masquerading as
a relentlessly cheery TV infomercial hawking a wonder product,
the video features Zittel and others in various domestic
situations. One segment, which asks you to "imagine a system
where things belong exactly where you put them," relates
to Zittel's earlier, hyper-ordered modular living units.
Another segment demonstrates how to make a rudimentary yet
comfortable dress out of a single piece of fabric and safety
pins. "Don't ever let anyone tell you that you have to be
an expert to make things that you use every day," the viewer
is told, suggesting affinities with do-it-yourself utopians
like the famously self-reliant Henry David Thoreau.
The visitor came away from the exhibition with an understanding
of Zittel's rules of "raugh." It's "absolutely comfortable,"
it "absorbs dirt rather than reveals it," and it "deteriorates
beautifully"--all qualities that apply directly to the ersatz
rock furniture. With her references to TV merchandising,
pop-culture trends and self-improvement, Zittel is absolutely
of her time. The real point of her oddball, visionary bent,
however, is a search for personal freedom, simplicity and
exuberant ease. |