LiVE MAGAZINE VOL 8, Issue #203 February 20th THRU March 6th, 2015
Live Magazine from Palm Springs
Live Magazine from Palm Springs
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
14<br />
FROM RAIN TO ARROWS –<br />
FROM RAIN TO ARROWS –<br />
THE ART OF MICHAEL PETRY<br />
By Angela Romeo<br />
Michael Petry was born in El Paso,<br />
Texas, and lives in London.. He<br />
received a BA at Rice University, an<br />
MA at London Guildhall University,<br />
and a PhD in Arts at Middlesex<br />
University. He is the director of<br />
MOCA London, and co-founder of<br />
the Museum of Installation, London.<br />
In 2012 Michael’s Touch of the Oracle was<br />
exhibited at the Palm Springs Art Museum.<br />
His Golden Rain installation is a part of the<br />
Museum’s permanent collection. He returns<br />
with the romantically chilling Libation to Eros.<br />
Michael’s works are provocative and always<br />
probative. Golden Rain is an installation of 100<br />
gold-mirrored droplet-shaped glass vessels<br />
that reference the Greek myth of Danae,<br />
impregnated by the god Zeus in the form of<br />
a golden rain shower. Joshua D’s Wall, a field<br />
of 250 hand-blown glass stones, refers to the<br />
Biblical story of Joshua and the crumbling walls<br />
of Jericho. Michael’s Libation to Eros involves<br />
the firing of 54 black arrows into cork wall while<br />
declaiming the story of the god of love, Eros.<br />
“I was recently invited to participate in the<br />
Alentejo Trienal in Portugal. My venue was the<br />
Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval. Doing research<br />
for my project I looked at classical sculptures<br />
that were missing arrows, shields or spears. I<br />
created bronze arrows for Diana, goddess of the<br />
hunt. My arrows inspired me to know more<br />
about archery. I took an ‘intro’ class I knew<br />
I needed do a performance work based on<br />
archery. All that lead to Libation to Eros.”<br />
Libations are a reoccurring theme for Michael.<br />
“Once a libation is offered it may not be taken<br />
back. All performances are, libations. They are<br />
about the now, once done, that’s it, and it can’t<br />
be taken back nor done over. A performance<br />
is dangerous since no matter how much one<br />
prepares, there is no guarantee of perfection.<br />
Thus a performance is always a ‘libation’.”<br />
“I am a contemporary artist but the classics,<br />
the Greek and Roman myths, have never left<br />
us. Even now, there are Hollywood movies that<br />
cast modern tweeting kids as the children of<br />
the gods. They bring those stories to a whole<br />
new generation. They mix it up a bit and get<br />
the stories ‘wrong’ but anything that might<br />
lead kids to the originals is great. My work<br />
brings the myths to present. The richness of<br />
our past cannot be denied.”<br />
But the power of Libation to Eros is more than<br />
the myth of Eros or Cupid. It is a reminder of<br />
how close is the line of love and pain. “Many<br />
people are unaware of the power of the bow<br />
and arrow,” said Michael. “Like the power of<br />
the arrow, modern society often forgets that<br />
love, then as now, is a life changing event.”<br />
That we have not travelled far from the mortals<br />
of these classic tales is a humbling notion.<br />
Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.<br />
Photo by Steve Tanguy<br />
Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.<br />
Photo by Steve Tanguy<br />
Angela Romeo is the producer /host of COLLIDING WORLDS TV and COLLIDING WORLDS RADIO.<br />
For more information visit: www.collidingworldstvandart.com<br />
Colliding Worlds TV is available on YouTube at<br />
www.youtube.com/user/AngelaValenteRomeo<br />
or at Colliding Worlds Vimeo:<br />
www.vimeo.com/collidingworldstv<br />
Colliding Worlds TV broadcasts on KPSE (MY 13 Palm Springs California) Saturdays at noon and<br />
Thursdays at 6:30 am<br />
Colliding Worlds Radio, broadcasts and live streams weekly,<br />
Saturday from 11 am to 12 pm on KPSF 1200 AM (Money Radio 1200)<br />
Colliding Worlds is now on KMIR (Palm Springs)Saturday at 5 am and on KPSE Thursday (Palm<br />
Springs) at 6:30 am<br />
CW Radio podcasts are available at<br />
www.collidingworldstvandart.com<br />
Photo by Steve Tanguy