Event 3: Lifes at Hammer Museum

On Sunday, April 10, I had the opportunity to finally visit the Hammer Museum. During my time there, I was fascinated at all the various concepts of art, including Lifes, one that was hosted on the top floor. Lifes was an exhibit featuring a vast space that's occupied with various structures, each of which had depth to the overall concept projected.

Outside View of Hammer Museum


Upon entering the vicinity, the first thing I was greeted was the dim lighting followed by the low rumbling of chanting in my ears. After receiving the brochure and looking more into it, I learned that the audio I was listening to was The Tuning Meditation, a piece made from constant vocalization ("Turning Meditation"). The Tuning Meditation was a piece of auditory work that helped bring forth the atmosphere on this place.

The next notable site worth mentioning at this event were the nine marble lions. These lions were described to be the boundaries between the public and private, which was supposed to be demonstrated at a certain time into the show. Due to my time crunch, I visited at the start of the hour rather than the end of the hour, and did not see any performances. However, when looking it up afterward, I was able to still witness the performance virtually (Nina Beier).

Nine Marble Guardian Lions - Hammer Museum, Lifes Display

When walking further into the site and turning left, there were a few things that caught my eye: the vibrant tower artwork, the artificial log in the middle, and a tube that run around the proximity of the room ("Review...Museum"). When reading out the given brochure, I came to learn that, despite the drastically different displays, they all feature various forms of life: life in the human body, life as nature, and life in modern aspect with politics (Stewart).

Monument to the Next International

Overall, this collaborative art and performance was an experience I'm glad to have done prior to graduating. Lifes features of color, sound, and abstract approach was something worth remembering. 

Word Count: 318

Sources:

[1] “Check out the ‘Lifes’ Exhibition at the Hammer Museum.” UCLA, https://newsroom.ucla.edu/dept/faculty/feb-16-through-may-18-lifes-exhibition-at-the-hammer-museum-at-ucla. 

[2] Nguyen, Michelle. Monument to the next International, art display. Hammer Museum. 10 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

[3] Nguyen, Michelle. Nine marble lions at Lifes. Hammer Museum. 10 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

[4] Nguyen, Michelle. Exterior view of Hammer Museum. Hammer Museum. 10 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

[5] Nguyen, Michelle. Picture by the table near entrance of Hammer Museum. Hammer Museum. 10 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection. 

[6] Nguyen, Michelle. Picture with Michelle and friend, standing right outside the Lifes exhibit of Hammer Museum. Hammer Museum. 10 April 2022. Author's Personal Collection.

[7] Nina Beier & Bob Kil: All Fours | Hammer Channel | Hammer Museum. channel.hammer.ucla.edu, https://channel.hammer.ucla.edu/video/1733/nina-beier-bob-kil-all-fours. Accessed 5 May 2022.

[8] “Review: Spanish Conquistadors and Plastic Vomit: That’s ‘Lifes’ at UCLA Hammer Museum.” Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-03-29/lifes-hammer-museum.

[9] Stewart, Joseph. Lifes: Hourly Exhibition Schedule by Minute, Hammer Museum. 2022. Pamphlet. 

[10] “Tuning Meditation,” Pauline Oliveros | Blanton Museum of Art - YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlxUpqsdlHM&feature=youtu.be.

 

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