Here is Iggy's request for her commissioned Granteeny-
"The contest came at a timely moment corresponding with the death of an
artist of a different genre: Kurt Vonnegut, who died this past week. I
would like Grant to draw the end of the world as depicted by Vonnegut
in his novel Cat's Cradle.
In the event that the artist and/or his dealer are not familiar with
the story, what it boils down to is that a scientist created a crystal
called Ice 9 which, when it comes in contact with water, immediately
freezes the water. Obviously it is very dangerous, but efforts to
control and destroy this crystal fail. At the end of the book, the
world and life in general are destroyed when the crystal gets out--
and all of the water in the entire world freezes in a spectacular
chain reaction, beginning on an island in the Caribbean. For colors:
Ice 9 is said to turn everything a freakish blue-white.
Grant is free to interpret the characters and imagery of this scene
according to his own genius, and the adding and mixing of colors is
encouraged. I am sure that Grant's portrayal of this literary
masterpiece will help us further understand its meaning, and
understand the life and death of Kurt Vonnegut in this time of tragedy
as we honor him. I am excited to see what I can learn from Grant about
this celebrated novel and author."
Grant could not have been more excited by this subject matter. He obviously hasn't read any Vonnegut; his parents think he is still a little young for that level of existential angst. While making this work, we both learned a lot about hot and cool colors. Grant learned that blues and greens are usually cool colors, and I learned that red is cool too, because; "yes it is!"
Grant calls this piece, "The World is Changing". The marker drawing depicts the Earth from the vantage point of outer-space. The Earth is encircled by a ghostly blue ring constricting around it. This is the Ice 9 as it reacts with the water. Frozen rivers cross the still green landmasses and the oceans turn eerie shades of blue and light violet. Rays of light bounce of the Ice 9, and the world becomes an icy prism.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
The World is Changing
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I feel like it's possible that granteeny may have been channeling vonnegut for this particular piece.
Wow! Congrqatualations to everyone involved. couldn't be more perfect.
I feel reverent appreciation. Grant, you are an amazing artist. you have exceeded even the hopes of all of us here at the Iggy Corporation.
I want to share what I get out of this piece. Could Vonnegut be speaking to us, through Grant, from the world beyond? "The World Is Changing." I feel like it encompasses so many layers that go beyond my own understanding.
The world that Vonnegut created in Cat's Cradle. The modern world around us, for which Vonnegut so adamantly progressing in areas like technology, but faced with the dismal truths of environmental and political concerns. yes, the world is changing. and on top of that, Vonnegut is going through so many changes that he inevitably does not understand. Where is his spirit? is it somewhere around us, in this world, or has it gone on to another world? either way, his personal world is changing.
perhaps the red figure on the upper right of the world represents Vonnegut's spirit. he is no longer touching the world in the way that the rest of us are, however, he is still within the confines and influence of the actions of his life, indicated by the outer blue atmospheric circle.
perhaps the novel Cat's Cradle is really about realizing that our actions influence our own life in the world beyond AND the world of today, which needs our constant care and attention. We also must remember that one day we too will go through That Great Change in the Sky.
Thank you, Grant, for pointing out these important things and helping us to remember what's really important in life.
Can we see it?
That is it at the top.
Post a Comment