Bruce Nauman – “Double Steel Cage”
Nauman’s Double Steel Cage was suggested for me to look at right at this project … and is included in two of my four sketchbooks as this piece s quite influencial in terms of structure and the audience participation.
Nauman creates his double cage by placing one slightly smaller cage inside a larger one and has allowed just enough space between the cages for his audience participants to squeeze between. He has obstructed the viewers access around the cage by leaving enough space for the viewer to side step all the way around the piece (see image). By doing this, the viewer is over come by fears and worries such as entrapment within the cage.
This idea of entrapment and caged in is central to my work, I want to create a space that looks large on the outside but is tight inside. To achieve these feelings I will cover the outside of my cage with craft paper (reflecting back to my paper cage – see earlier in blog – and also I want to create a cage but one that is a metaphore for a cage). I am also planning to make the overall cage areas (there are 3 areas to the Cage) quite tight and cramp and will hopefully achieve this by making a 6ft high by 4ft wide cage. This will hopefully feel snug for one viewer to enter but also extremely tight and cramped if more enter at one time.
Davis. B (2013) Bittersweet Cacophony [Online] Available at: http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/reviews/davis/bruce-nauman-venice-biennale6-18-09_detail.asp?picnum=11 Accessed: 13/05/2013
