Mar. 1, 2010: Roni Horn aka Roni Horn at the ICA

>>Rooney: DIRECT FROM THE WHITNEY MUSEUM
IS THE INSTITUTE OF CON
TRAEFERARY ARTS SHOW.
RONI HORN.
WHILE THE ARTIST HERSELF WAS
RELUCTANT TO TALK ABOUT HER
OWN WORK, HER GOOD FRIEND
DIRECTOR JOHN WATERS WAS
WILLING TO TELL JARED BOWEN
PLENTY.

>> Reporter: IN THE WORK OF
RONI HORN, SEEING IS
BELIEVING.
OR IS IT?
AND THIS IS ME, THIS IS YOU,
WE SEE A COMPREHENSIVE
SNAPSHOT SERIES OF THE
ARTIST'S NIECE.
ON THE OPPOSITE WALL THE FAME
SERIES.
UNTIL YOU LOOK CLOSER.
SUDDEN SLIGHT VARIATIONS.
HORN TOYS WITH PERCEPTION.

>> WHAT DO WE THINK WHEN WE'RE
FACED WITH TWO THINGS?
WE'RE NOT SURE IF THEY'RE
ALIKE FOR DIFFERENT?
AS SOON AS THE ARTIST CAN DRAW
YOU IN TRYING TO MAKE THOSE
COMPARISONS SHE HAS YOU
ENGAGED IN THE WORK.
I THINK THAT'S WHEN THE
VIEWERS' EXPERIENCE OF IT
REALLY JUST COMES TO LIFE.

>> Reporter: HORN HAS SAID
SHE'S ONLY CONCERNED WITH THE
MOMENT HER WORK GRABS AND
HOLDS YOU.
HOWEVER, THAT MAY HAPPEN
BECAUSE AS HER LONG-TIME
FRIEND DIRECTOR JOHN WATERS
EXPLAINS, HERS IS NOT EASY
ART.

>> CONTEMPORARY ART CAN
CONFUSE YOU.
I THINK SOMETIMES YOU DON'T
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND IT.
I THINK IF EVERYBODY
UNDERSTANDS IT, IT'S BAD IN
THE ART WORLD.
NOBODY SAYS THAT BUT IT'S TRUE
ITS THE OPPOSITE OF MOVIES
WHERE EVERYBODY HAS TO LOVE
IT.
EVERYBODY LOVES IT HERE, IT'S
TERRIBLE.

>> Reporter: SO THE ADVENTUREEN
FOLDS IN THE NEW SHOW.
IN YOU ARE THE WEATHER A
SERIES OF PICTURES OF ONE
WOMAN INTENDS TO REVEAL
VARIATIONS IN WEATHER AROUND
HER.

>> YOU START TO SEE HOW THE
FACE ITSELF ALMOST BECOMES A
LANDSCAPE AND HOW THE PORTRAIT,
EVEN THOUGH YOU'RE SEEING
ALMOST 100 IMAGES OF THIS
WOMAN'S FACE IT'S NOT
NECESSARILY LIKE YOU'RE GET TO
GO KNOW HERBERT.

>> Reporter: HORN DIVIDES HER
TIME AND WORK BETWEEN NEW YORK
AND REYJAVIK.
WITH MUCH OF HER ART INFORMED
BY ICELAND'S UNIQUE
ENVIRONMENT.

>> ICELAND IS HER ART SUPPLY
STORE.
TO ME IT'S LIKE A PAINTER GOES
TO A ART SUPPLIES ROOM TO BUY
CANVAS.
I THINK SHE GOES TO ICELAND
AND USES THAT.
THAT COUNTRY IS HER CANVAS IN
A WAY.
OBVIOUSLY IT INSPIRES HER.

>> Reporter: MOST STRIKINGLY
IN HER SCULPTURE.
LARGE GLASS PIECES THAT LURE
FROM AFAR WITH A PROMISE OF
LIQUID ONLY TO TAUNT UP CLOSE
WITH THEIR SOLID, SHIMMERING
MASS.

>> IT SEEMS VERY PERSONAL AND
REFLECTIVE PIECES.
I MEAN ELEMENTAL, YOU CAN LOOK
INTO THEM LIKE YOU GAZE OUT
INTO THE SUNSET OR INTO THE
FIRE.

>> Reporter: OF THE ELEMENTS
WATER IS WHERE WE CAN DEEPLY
PLUNGE INTO HORN'S
PERSONALITY.
HERE WE SEE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE
NAMES WITH HER OWN THOUGHTS
ATTACHED.

>> SHE'S PUTTING EVERYTHING
THAT YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THIS YOU
NEVER LOOK AT WATER AGAIN THE
SAME WAY.
YOU THINK ABOUT, DID SOMEONE
DROWN IN THERE?
ARE THEY SWIMMING IN THERE?
IS A FISH HAPPY?
IS IT POLLUTED?
COULD SOMEONE DIE FROM IT?
COULD IT BE A TIDAL WAVE AND
KILL US IN AN HOUR?
ALL THOSE THINGS COULD HAPPEN.

>> Reporter: HORN DECLINED OUR
REQUEST FOR AN INTERVIEW BUT
DID OFFER HER OWN INSIGHT INTO
HER WORK AT A TALK SHE GAVE
WITH HER FRIEND WATERS.
SHE SPOKE ABOUT HER FREQUENT
USE OF TEXT.

>> COMING OUT OF THE JEWISH
CULTURE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF
LANGUAGE IN THE JEWISH CULTURE
WORDS ARE LIKE VIEWS FOR ME.
THEY REALLY HAVE REALLY
COMPLEX RICH KIND OF OPEN
ENDED QUALITIES.
THEY'RE NOT DEFINITIONS.
THEY'RE ENTRANCES.

>> Reporter: FROM THE LITERAL
TO THE ABSTRACT, FROM HER OWN
DRAWINGS TO THE ONES SHE HAS
YET TO DO, HER RESULT IN THE
END IS ABOUT LESSONS LEARNED
NOT THAT SHE'S WILLING TO
TEACH THEM.

>> TO ME IT'S IMPENETRABLE
SOMETIMES.
THAT'S FUN.
YOU HAVE TO LEARN OF A NEW WAY
TO SEE AND LOOK AT THINGS.
THAT'S WHAT ART TEACHES YOU TO
DO.

>> Rooney: JARED BOWEN IS
HERE.
WHY IS SHE SO RELUCTANT TO
SPEAK?

>> I DON'T COMPLETELY KNOW.
SHE HAS DONE A PBS
DOCUMENTARY.
SHE WAS WILLING TO TALK WITH
JOHN WATERS.
I THINK IT'S REALLY BECAUSE
SHE WANTS TO LEAVE THE
ENGAGEMENT UP TO THE VIEWER.
SHE TALKS ABOUT, WHICH I KIND
OF APPRECIATE, THIS ONE MOMENT
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS IS
ME THIS IS YOU WHICH IS THAT
HUGE SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS
WITH HER NIECE THAT ONE MOMENT
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALL THE
PHOTOGRAPHS AND YOU LOOK THE
YOUR RIGHT AND YOU THINK
YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE SAME
THING.
YOU REALIZE YOU'RE NOT.
YOU'RE PARALYZED A LITTLE BIT.
IT'S THAT MOMENT THAT SHE'S
LOOKING FOR.
SHE SORT OF WANTS YOU TO FIND
YOUR OWN WAY THROUGH HER ART.

>> Rooney: ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT SHE SAID AND I WAS
READING THAT SHE STARTS BY
DRAWING.
SHE'S CLEARLY AN ARTIST FIRST.
I MEAN SCULPTURE AND ALL THAT.
SHE CAN DRAW.
SHE HAS A FOUNDATION.
WE WERE MAKING FUN OF THAT
WHITNEY EXHIBIT LAST WEEK WITH
THE COUCH COVERED IN THE
NEWSPAPER ARTICLES OF OBAMA.
I MEAN THIS IS A FAR CRY FROM
THAT.

>> Reporter: YOU CAN GO IN AND
THERE'S SORT OF SOMETHING FOR
EVERYBODY.
LIKE JOHN WATERS SAID.
IT'S OKAY TO HATE CERTAIN
PARTS OF IT.
OTHERS....

>> Rooney: NOT TO GET IT.

>> RIGHT AND NOT TO GET IT.
THAT'S THE OTHER INTERESTING
THING.
YOU GO THROUGH THE CATALOGUE
WHICH IS EXTREMELY WELL DONE
AND YOU CAN LEARN SO MUCH LIKE
THOSE, THE TWO LAYERS OF GOLD
THAT ARE LAYERED ON TOP OF
EACH OTHER.
SHE DID ATTRIBUTE TO A GAY
COUPLE ONE OF WHOM DIED OF
AIDS BUT IT IS SORT OF POETIC
IN THAT IT EXPLODES WITH THIS
COLOR AND LIGHT WHEN IT HITS
IT.
THEY PLACED IT RIGHT IN FRONT
OF THAT BEAUTIFUL WALK THAT
LOOKS OVER THE HARBOR.
THE SUN COMES IN.
THAT YOU UNDERSTAND BY READING
THE CATALOGUE BUT THERE ARE
OTHER THINGS THAT YOU CAN JUST
GO IN AND DO YOUR OWN
INTERPRETATION.
I PERSONALLY LOVED THESE
PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE BACKS OF
BIRDS' HEADS.
YOU'RE NOT QUITE CERTAIN WHAT
YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
I THOUGHT IT WAS COMICAL.
ADJACENT TO THAT IS AN OWL.
YOU'RE NOT SURE IF YOU'RE
LOOKING AT A LIVE OR DEAD OWL.
ART THAT ENGAGES AT A
DIFFERENT LEVEL.
YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT WHICH IS
MORE ABSTRACT OR THE CUBES.

>> Rooney: FANTASTIC.

>> GORGEOUS.
BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU'RE
LOOKING... LEGITIMATELY YOU
THINK YOU'RE LOOKING AT WATER
UNTIL YOU WALK UP CLOSE TO IT.

>> Rooney: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THAT'S IT FOR GREATER BOSTON.
A REMINDER TO TURN IN TO WGBH
AT NOON FOR MY PROGRAM
FOLLOWED BY THE CALLIE
CROSSLEY SHOW AT 1:00.
TOMORROW NIGHT MARK HALPRIN
AND JOHN HEILEMAN WITH THEIR
FASCINATING BEHIND THE SCENES
LOOK AT THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE
OF '08.
GAME CHANGE.
THAT AND MORE TOMORROW AT
7:00.
I'M EMILY ROONEY.
GOOD NIGHT.

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