Thursday, March 01, 2007

"to distort gravity & time, press one"


BUT, none of these dock problems have stopped Robert Lazzarini's payphoone from going on view (in its own room no less) on the Hirshhorn's second floor. The thing is gorgeous.

Tyler Green reported it as a promised gift back in early February and the sculpture's wall tag still lists its approval is pending.

Watch out for that already undockable dock!

Siah Armajani
Loading Dock With Door, 1974-1975


Seems an interoffice memo circulated around the Hirshhorn security staff reveals that the loading dock will be inactive due to damage from a truck hitting its top frame. No word that this has affected the in-progress renovation of the the main loading dock on the building's east side.

That work is being done to widen the entrance so that art delivering trucks can actually pull up to the building and unload in to it--read: the dock will become, uh, a dock. Installing this summer's Sugimoto show, for example, required artwork to be unloaded from trucks (vertically down five feet), across the drive and the dock (horizontally 50 feet, partially uncovered outside) and then lifted up on to the Hirshhorn's loading dock. Insurer's delight!

Also no word as to why the Hirshhorn doesn't use this loading dock from the permanent collection. Siah, where's the hydraulic lift?!