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Daniel Arsham shares his experience of working with Merce Cunningham. The choreographer had a unique way of working very much influenced by his partner in life, John Cage. Arsham designed several shows for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company including the last series of performances of 2011 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

Daniel Arsham shares his experience of working with Merce Cunningham. The choreographer had a unique way of working very much influenced by his partner in life, John Cage. Arsham designed several shows for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company including the last series of performances of 2011 at the Park Avenue Armory in New York.

 

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Daniel Arsham a réussi à trouver sa voie dans l’art en sortant de sa zone de confort ou en se confrontant à des exercices inhabituels. Que ce soit par la découverte de films de Salvador Dalí ou ses premiers projet photographiques, sa réflexion sur la conception d’une oeuvre plutôt que sur l’oeuvre en elle même, lui a permis de trouver sa voie. Son travail reste néanmoins très technique et demande un temps de production important. La résolution de contraintes techniques importantes et sa volonté d’inscrire son oeuvre dans des expériences narratives le conduisent à réaliser des installations à grande échelle.
C’est avec recul qu’il conseille ainsi aux jeunes artistes de faire confiance à leur intuition et de ne pas forcément chercher d’éléments rationnels dans la construction de leur oeuvre.

Daniel Arsham has managed to find his way in art by leaving his comfort zone and by facing unusual exercises. Whether by discovering Salvador Dalí’s films or his first photographic projects, his thoughts on the conception of a work rather than on the work itself, allowed him to find his way. His work remains very technical and requires significant production time. The resolution of important technical constraints and his desire to put his work into narrative experiences led him to realize large-scale installations.
It is with hindsight that he advocates for young artists to trust their intuition and not necessarily look for rational elements in the construction of their work.

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Daniel Arsham a construit son style sur la base de trois expériences.
Il est né daltonien et, très tôt dans sa carrière, ses oeuvres sont restées monochromes. Partant de nuances allant du noir au blanc, il s’est peu à peu aventuré dans la couleur grâce à des verres lui permettant de voir des teintes plus variées.
C’est en faisant le rencontre de Merce Cunningham qu’il s’initie au design architectural en construisant les décors de scène des spectacles du grand chorégraphe.
Enfin, c’est un voyage sur l’Île de Pâques qui lui fait découvrir des vestiges archéologiques et l’inspire pour développer son oeuvre et ses installations autour de la perception du temps. Cette terre volcanique a orienté ses sculptures vers des matériaux tels que le cristal, la cendre ou différents minéraux et gemmes.

Daniel Arsham built his style on three experiences.
He was born colorblind and, very early in his career, his works remained monochrome. Starting from shades going from black to white, he has gradually ventured into color thanks to glasses allowing him to see more varied shades.
It is by meeting Merce Cunningham that he got initiated to architectural design by constructing the sets of the stage of the great choreographer’s shows.
Finally, a trip to Easter Island allowed him to discover archaeological remains and inspired him to develop his work and installations around the perception of time. This volcanic land has oriented his sculpture towards materials such as crystal, ash or different minerals and gems.

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Daniel Arsham est un artiste américain connu pour ses sculptures faites de cristaux et ses manipulations d’éléments architecturaux. Né à Cleveland, c’est à Miami qu’il passe la majorité de son enfance. Repéré très tôt comme un dessinateur talentueux, il entre alors en école spécialisée et pratique beaucoup la photographie. Cette époque sera marquée par l’ouragan Andrew qui occasionnera de nombreuses destructions dans la région, et notamment celle de sa maison. Ces événements le conduiront à s’intéresser à l’architecture qui occupe encore aujourd’hui une grande place dans son travail.

Daniel Arsham is an American artist known for his sculptures made of crystals and manipulations of architectural elements. Born in Cleveland, he spent most of his childhood in Miami. Spotted very early as a talented draftsman, he then enters a specialized school and practices a lot of photography. This time will be marked by the hurricane Andrew which will cause many destructions in the region, and in particular his family’s house. These events will lead him to gain interest for architecture that still occupies a large place in his work today.