Movement of the hands of Composer Pierre Boulez while conducting the London Symphony Orchestra
In the great flurry of all things artistic that is Armory Week, I had the opportunity to meet artist Morgan O’Hara in her Manhattan Studio. Like so many artists, at first glance, her work is meaningless. Many of her drawings look like a ball of gray yarn so thoroughly tied and tangled up, as to be beyond all usefulness. I almost walked straight out of her studio.
Instead, I asked her if she would explain, or better still, help me understand her work. She began by explaining that her pieces are created in real-time as some action is taking place. This action could be almost anything from a concert pianist playing a concerto to traditional noodle makers kneeding flour. As she watches them, she draws with both hands simultaneously. Her movements are loose records of the actions she is observing. Take this piece for example:
Martha Argerich playing Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4, Live-Transmission drawing by Morgan O'Hara
It looks like childish scribbling across a loosely defined axis. What it is though is a live transmission of the movement of the hands of pianist Martha Argerich playing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto #4. Each one of Ms. O’Hara’s drawings then, is an organic record of what took place over a small period of time. After being armed with this information, I could see the movements of the pianist in the drawing. I could hear the flourishes and crescendos of this concerto in the longer, more dramatic lines of the drawing.
Here is a video of Ms. O’Hara at work in China. She comes into the video after about 45 seconds.
If you are anything like me, you might have felt, well, nothing, for the majority of art you saw last weekend. While I think there are a lot of culturally bankrupt artists out there, many of whom receive lots of attention regardless, sometimes, our lack of appreciation and enjoyment of art stems from a lack of understanding. And this understanding, can often only come from the artist. Many artists, as it were, are codifying their own languages. When we don’t immediately understand it, we dismiss it. It is often much more valuable to spend a modicum of time to at least get a glimpse of the artists intention and then, judge their work accordingly.
You can check out more of Morgan O’Hara’s work on her website.
