Olympic Sculpture Park Subjective Map

Olympic Sculpture Park Subjective Map

Walking through the park, I was captivated by Bunyon's Chess. The suspension of the three large beams was nearly overwhelming. Seeing the beams free-floating in the air reminds me of how freeing the world of art is, in that artists are not limited by time or space.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the bench and chair sculpture. The clever idea of comparing the increasing utility of the various things to sit on starting with a simple moving box, followed by a plastic lawn chair and completed with the stone bench. All are useful, but only one is really meant to last. I wondered if any guests at the park every actually sit on the bench.

When I saw the Love & Loss presentation, all I could say was wow. This is the most clever sculpture I've ever seen. Using things as basic as benches, tables and trees, Roy McKakin played upon words and culture perfectly. The accenting using white paint really makes the message stand out and makes the observer feel as though they are on a scavenger hunt trying to determine the message. I really enjoy the use of nature as well. The green grass and trees contrast the paint perfect.

The giant Typewriter Eraser sculpture just made me smile. It was something I did not expect to see on the top of the hill. At first I did not know what it was and had to read the information about the sculpture before I understood. It is remarkably clever how Claes Oldenburg transformed a plain object, made it larger and it becomes eye catching.

The Stainless Steel Tree was not as impressive as I thought it would be. While an excellent feat to copy nature to such an extreme, I kept thinking that it was such a pity that he could only copy nature in its dead, dormant state. While the tree had graceful slant, tall trunks and detailed twigs, it was lacking life. There were no leaves, no fruit just the dead frame. So, while it does copy nature, it does not seem to accurately portray nature's beauty, but rather its complexity and weakness.

I almost missed the mirror sculpture because it blends so perfectly into the park. The stainless steel is polished to a mirror finish and placed in a garden, so all you really see is the garden. The only way that the sculpture caught my eye was the reflection of the sun.

Richard Serra's plate sculpture attracted the most attention from children so far. The children enjoyed running between the plates and peeking out from behind. It was a great reminder that art is meant to be experienced, not just viewed. The plates were so enormous compared with the children that it also gave a great reference for the immensity of the sculpture.

As I kept walking I encountered another bench statue. This one was steel painted a reflective black. It formed nearly an enclosed square except for one half of one side was missing, opening it up for entrance. It seemed as though the benches usefulness outweighed its artistic effect as the entire bench was filled with people talking, resting and even eating. It seems as though the people had become part of the sculpture.