If you’ve been to the Tang Teaching Museum in the past year, then you’ve likely noticed the ongoing installation named “Energy Field,” which has transformed the mezzanine into a colorful lounge and community space. On July 2, a new piece titled “Perpetual Motion” was added to the installation, which was created by artist E.V. Day in response to the recent tragedy in Orlando.
Photo Courtesy of the Tang Teaching Museum: Installation view, Liz Collins — Energy Field, Tang Teaching Museum, photograph by Arthur Evans.
Acclaimed artist E.V. Day received an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Yale University in 1995, and recently, the American Academy in Rome awarded her the prestigious Rome Prize for Visual Arts. Day is known for her formal and conceptual works, many of which transform clichés about fashion, femininity, and feminism. Some of her newer works use fishnet as a visual rendering and volumizing device, including “Perpetual Motion.”
Day’s “Perpetual Motion” is a site-specific installation that stretches across the mezzanine’s large window in a custom-made steel frame. The artwork is made out of fishnet body suits, elastic cords, and hardware. For Day, the piece is about visibility, inclusion, and defiant expression – a powerful response to the tragedy in Orlando.
This recent addition to the Tang Museum is also part of Liz Collins’ ongoing “Energy Field” installation. Collins re-imagined the mezzanine as a community space, and now the room is decorated with colorful three-dimensional textiles, paintings, and lounge furniture. She designed the room for congregation, conversation, and study.
Since its 2015 opening, “Energy Field” has been one of the museum’s most popular attractions. It has hosted dialogues, an improvisational dance performance, Tang Student Advisory Council meetings, and museum visitors who can come and be re-energized. Collins has invited other artists to participate in the installation as well, which is how “Perpetual Motion” came to the Tang.
Now that it has opened to the public, “Perpetual Motion” will encourage visitors to reflect on its themes in a unique space designed for thought and communication.
