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Thesis Info
- LABS ID
- 00791
- Thesis Title
- Spatiotemporal Experience
- Author
- Marcus Zúñiga
- E-mail
- mzuniga.artist AT gmail.com
- 2nd Author
- 3rd Author
- Degree
- Master of Fine Arts
- Year
- 2019
- Number of Pages
- 24
- University
- Art Center College of Design
- Thesis Supervisor
- Lita Albuquerque
- Supervisor e-mail
- Other Supervisor(s)
- Language(s) of Thesis
- English
- Department / Discipline
- Graduate Art
- Copyright Ownership
- Marcus Zúñiga
- Languages Familiar to Author
- URL where full thesis can be found
- Keywords
- dimensions of spacetime land art light cosmos universe perception Vija Celmins Robert Irwin Disc Robert Smithson Spiral Jetty
- Abstract: 200-500 words
- All works of art, no matter how flat or three dimensional, exist in spacetime and recalibrate the human senses. In art, materials and objects experientially heighten sensorial engagement with the body in reference to a fixed position in spacetime. Considering works of art under this framework can heighten an awareness of the ephemerality of spacetime when their content asks the viewer to contend with conceptions of time beyond the human scale.
The human scale of experience is defined by four dimensions of spacetime. Vision dominates the human hierarchy of senses, and our comprehension of representation is determined by the circulation of documentary images. This results in a misleading perception of scale which can build a false rendering of what is to be represented for the viewer to perceive. Given that documentary images limit the understanding of art, the experience of a work of art in spacetime is central to how the viewer confronts scale in relation to the body.
To demonstrate how art operates in spacetime, I will analyze my experience of three different works which simulate time differently. They each describe systems of extrapolating dimensionality and scale to physically contribute toward an awareness of how art exists in spacetime. My personal account will be integrated with the art historical context of each work. These three works are interested in expanding conceptual notions of dimension and scale, but choose to explore these ideas through different media; a two-dimensional lithograph, a relief wall sculpture, and a site-specific sculpture. Vija Celmins’ "Untitled Portfolio" (1975), Robert Irwin’s "Untitled" Disc Painting (1968), and Robert Smithson’s "Spiral Jetty" (1970) all emphasize their physicality to demand an equally physical experience of its viewer.