You can call me SL, this is about living.



Ursula von Rydingsvard's "Ocean Floor"
Long Island City, NY from my 2011 archive
Ursula von Rydingsvard's "Elegantka"
(cast in resin) Long Island City, NY
from my 2011 archive
exterior of SculptureCenter
(a mix of old and new) Long Island City, NY
from my 2011 archive
February 28, 2011

Wood

This past weekend, I went to check out Ursula von Rydingsvard's exhibition in Long Island City. The SculptureCenter (S.C. for short) is a short trek from the Court House Square subway stop and MoMA PS1 Museum. The exhibition space at S.C. is simply amazing. It reminds me of Smack Mellon in Dumbo, Brooklyn; industrial, raw, and expansive. Ursula von Rydingsvard's work situates itself perfectly within the architecture of the space.

I have previously experienced one of her pieces outdoors in Upstate New York. This exhibition shows a wider breadth of her work, and the potential of wood as a material. Her monolithic works resemble geological formations (think Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon) which upon closer examination reveal their machined and hand made parts. The immense scale of each piece potentially threatens to overpower the next, but they do not cancel each other out due to the space. The natural light coming from a skylight overhead casts a glow throughout that gives subtle shadows enhancing the depth in the undulations in the material. It is a breathtaking exhibition, well-curated with each piece allowed to have its own breathing room.

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