“Take a seat and push my button.”
“Pat My Fur.”
“Stroke my Strings.”
“Take a walk through me.”
Each of these unusual commands sits next to an artist’s piece in the “Touch Me” exhibit going on until May 21 at Gallery C in Hermosa Beach.
The exhibit of tactile art, or art that can be touched and interacted with in various ways, is in keeping with the gallery’s aim to make art more accessible to and enjoyable for everyone.
Spawned from Moshe Elimelech’s untitled removable cube pieces, “Touch Me” includes works that range from oversized stringed instruments and paintings on fake fur to a giant metal “kelp” sculpture.
Brad Howe’s “Golden Kelp” is a hanging sculpture bating at loose pieces through each strand of interlaced metal and plastic. As delightful details begin to present themselves, one may begin to imagine what kind of space a work like this could be hung in.
Art consultant Maggie Slaton can point out interesting pieces and explain how to interact with each of them. She can also give spectators a glove to rearrange the cubes in Moshe’s pieces.
Probably the first piece one will see is a giant harp built by Kingsley from one of the fiberglass sound domes that used to hang in the Hollywood Bowl.
The dome was cut in half, installed with a wooden face and strung with various-sized piano wire. A couple of felt picks sit on the edge of the harp just begging someone to pluck the strings, releasing a melody of sound into the atmosphere.
“Crescendo,” which was made by Kingsley specifically for “Touch Me,” backs up to the harp and is also made of piano strings and wood. However, the 192 inch long frame, which holds 118 piano strings of the same size, each precisely tuned to a different note, releases an entirely different type of sound when stroked.
Other interesting pieces include a whole collection of various types of dioramas and Tilghman Branner’s assortment of untitled paintings on fur.
Psychadelic mushrooms, cityscape scenes and a hallway inside a man’s thigh decorate the inside of the dioramas, tantalizing the eyes.
Hannah Rankin, high school junior, says that Daniel Wheeler’s “Outpost,” which consists of a steel lawn chair and television monitor showing postcard images from a camera in a cottage on top of a metal post is like something out of a Tim Burton movie.
On Exhibit
What: “Touch Me”: Ten artists representing various forms of art are featured in the Gallery C exhibit ongoing until May 21. Admission is free.
Displayed at: Gallery C, 1225 Hermosa Ave. Hermosa Beach.
For more Info: Interested persons may call 310-798-0102 or visit their web site at http://www.galleryc.com
Operating Hours: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
On Exhibit
What: “Touch Me”: Ten artists representing various forms of art are featured in the Gallery C exhibit ongoing until May 21. Admission is free.
Displayed at: Gallery C, 1225 Hermosa Ave. Hermosa Beach.
For more Info: Interested persons may call 310-798-0102 or visit their web site at http://www.galleryc.com
Operating Hours: Wednesday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
