Friday, December 6, 2013

Doris Chase

A sculptor who revolutionized avant-garde dance with kinetic fiberglass playforms for dancing tots? A painter and video artist who used computers borrowed from the Boeing Company to layer visual effects on multimedia happenings scored by Morton Subotnick? A Seattle housewife who ended up in the notorious Chelsea Hotel wearing a welder's mask working out of her studio kitchen? How had I not heard of Doris Chase before?
Some of Chase's early video art is now up on youtube courtesy of her gallerist (see below). Absolutely mindbending stuff in the vein of Nam Jun Paik with an enduring fascination with circles and spheres of all colors. Total rainbow pixel heaven. In the late sixties she built large kinetic structures for a light-show-enhanced kid's performance at the Seattle Opera! And I believe I have actually seen her public sculpture in Kerry Park in Seattle. What an amazing person and artist!
(images via Patricia Failing's fantastic book, Doris Chase: Artist in Motion.)

9 comments:

  1. I think my mind's just exploded. wonderful!!

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  2. right? she is totally amazing. would be cool to look around seattle for her sculptures...

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  3. Wonderful! I forwared this also to Gaby from http://architekturfuerkinder.ch/

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    1. Cool, that website is great. I was just talking to a friend about Nils Norman's work on adventure playgrounds.

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  4. Why hadn't you heard of her before? Because female artists are always underrated, no matter how talented they are. Male artists, even the most mediocre, are always taken too seriously. Way of the world, unfortunately...

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  5. Great post again, i feel bad for going anon but it would mean signing in to my blog. I never heard of this artist, have to watch these videos now. thanks again.

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  6. Thanks for the Doris Chase love! We are blown away by her work, too. If you are in the Seattle area, be sure to visit us during our Opening Reception for Doris Chase: Sculpture 1964-1974, Thursday, March 6th, 5-8pm.

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  7. If you are looking for her sculptures in Seattle. Here's a some to check out: Changing Form in Kerry Park, Moon Gates at the base of the Space Needle (5th and Broad), Encircled and Winged in the Washington State Convention Center (Encircled is one of my favorites!) and Monument in the University of Washington Gates School of Law.

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