test flights: a review of david rickard's site specific installation

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David Rickard- Test Flights A Short Review

David Rickard's work satisfies as being unpredictable both to himself and the viewer, although his

experiments are explained by the laws of physics; but does science have a place in the art world?

On their 100th

year the Contemporary Art Society saw a place for artists that would represent their

success and ideals, confirming in 2008 that New Zealand born David Rickard should display his

work at the Economist Plaza in central London starting 2010 off with a splat. In his usual manner

Rickard lay to sleep the expected routines for creating sculpture and installation art, Test Flights

consciously shows the viewer the process and performance involved in creating this site- specific

work. The remnants of three 400kg spheres of clay dropped from the subsequent heights of the

Economist Buildings in St James' Street show Rickard's intentions for the viewer to

perceive the materials and structures that surround them, as well as to induce a feeling of vertigo

and unease.

Rickard has both destroyed and constructed within one piece, Test Flights undergoes three stages of

development; the making of these perfect clay spheres, the raising of them to 4, 8 and 16 stories

where potential energy is stored within them, and finally the release of the spheres when they

become subject to a surface and space predetermined by its construction. Of course these spheres

look considerably different in the aftermath, one sits flattened at the base, another has noticeable

cracks and has begun to lose its shape, while the last is almost completely shattered. Test Flights is

site specific both artistically and historically; which is inarguably why Rickard was chosen to

produce thus work. Alison and Peter Smithson dedicated their careers to developing a new approach

to modern architecture which would exploit the low cost of mass man-made products, and produce

buildings specific to their site and purpose. In the early 60s the Smithsons would mimic the narrow

streets of old London and the elegance of the Piccadilly area to design the Economist Plaza where

Rickard's work resides in keeping with its creators' intentions.



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Rickard chooses to demonstrate how gravity has a large influence on our relationship to space and

our inhabitation of it is a defining factor. By using it as a tool for producing the work Rickard can

play with the laws of science he is familiar with and which are fundamental to our experience of

space and construction. The product of which 'looks at (the) location, an identity composed of a

unique combination of elements: length, depth, height, texture, scale and proportion of (the) plaza

buildings using existing conditions of lighting' ( Kwon, M. 2004 p.11) which are specific to this

area. His work does not seem to examine speed or the effect of weight, instead it seems to capture

'the relationship between sculpture and performance' (Robecchi, 2009, p.7) as the final aesthetics

are the consequence of movement due to gravitational pull therefore 'reducing the nature of (his)

artistic activities down to their elemental physical actions' (Buchloch, 2007 p.51). Rickard

successfully draws our attention to elements which 'are seldom given a second thought' (Rickard to

Hunt 2010) like his performance Exhaust 19-06-09 which consisted of Rickard's exhaled air slowly

filling a number of foil balloons over 24 hours. This grew through a four story stairway and led the

viewers attention not only to the performance and diligence of the artist but also to the physical

space and scale of the arena.

Some may be mistaken in thinking that Rickard's work in Test Flight s purposefully represents the

fall of the economy; the unstable symbols of wealth shattering under the weight of political

instability in both the UK and parts of the western world; similarly to Giulio Romano's fresco

Collapse of the Giants Hall 1534 which shows the structure of the government building which

could no longer stand the political and social super ego's of the giants. Due to his background in

architecture Rickard was able to transform his taught conventions and create a piece of installation

that makes us acknowledge our surrounding structures and use them for an arena of thought; one

that dismisses politics and wealth and focuses purely on aesthetics and experience. Test Flights was

agreed by the Contemporary Arts Society in June 2008 and proposed previously to that.



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There seems to be an ambiguity in the interpretation of the work as the connection between the

economic crash and the installation was coincidental, but surely the contemplation of the viewer is a

triumph for Rickard and the artist is usually suspicious of rational analysis of his work and often

with good reason, yet art invites analysis by its ambiguity. The authorship is unclear to the passer-

by as there is only one small plaque which acknowledges Rickard as the artist. Although

characteristic of Rickard's work the uninformed could easily be forgiven for fearing the stability

of the surrounding architecture. The theists among us may analyse the work as an act of God; a

punishment for the wicked and of those who concern themselves with wealth instead of good. This

is similar to Maurizio Cattelan's work The Ninth Hour 1999 an installation which shows the pope

hit by a meteorite, it represents the fear that God will smite us. Interpreting the work in a religious

or scientific manner is irrelevant as neither are intrinsic or compulsory as it seems to be the act of

scrutiny which is desired by Rickard and a 'demand for the physical presence of the viewer for the

work's completion' ( Kwon, M 2004, p.12), and without it 'the specificity of the site is not the

subject of the work, but- in its articulation of the movement of the viewer's body in destination'

(Krauss, 2007 p.121).

Some may see this invitation for subjective interpretation as a hindrance to Rickard as it may cause

a lack of strong identity in a world where the character of the artist is arguably as important as the

art itself. Granted many thrive off a strong self of self; producing successful works that are a

reflection of personal experience, however the audience can easily be left feeling somewhat

excluded psychologically. David Rickard's Test Flights however, seems to encompass all the right

components. Rickard seems to embrace the thinking of French phenomenological philosopher

Maurice Merleau- Ponty by demonstrating that consciousness, and the human body as a perceiving

entity are intricately and mutually engaged and that our physical and emotional selves are in a

constant state of experience. We cannot suppose that the interpretation of Test Flights would be

universal as it is subjective to our knowledge of architecture and conceptual intention, we can



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however state that it does not fail to entertain and that the prior movement of the spherical forms

unwillingly compels our interaction and acknowledgement of the Economist Plaza. David Rickard

has shown his suitability not only specifically for this site, but has established a fresh approach to

public art which can stand only in his favour. In keeping with his practise Rickard has used the

ruins of Test Flights as a platform on which to build a sterling reputation.

Bibliography

Exhibition Visit

Rickard, D (2010) Test Flights. London: The Economist Plaza. 27th November 2009 to 12th March

2010



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Books

Bishop, C (2005) Installation Art. London: Tate Publishing

Bois, Y., Buchloch, B., Foster, H & Krauss, R (2007) ART SINCE 1900: Modernism,

Antimodernism, Postmodernism. 2nd

ed. London: Thames and Hudson

Buck, L & Dodd, P (1991) Relative Values: or what's art worth? (page 25-52)

London: BBC Books

Bumpus, B & Packer, W (1985) The Contemporary Arts Society:1920- 1985. London: C. A. S.

Kwon, M (2004) One Place After Another: Site Specific Art and Locational Identity .

Massachusetts: Institute of Technology

Owens, C (1997) Beyond Recognition: Representation, Power and Culture 2nd

ed (by StewartBryson, S) London: University of California Press

Parker Pearson, M & Richards, C (1994) Architecture and Order: Approaches to Social Space.

London: Routledge

Restany, P& Zevi, B (1980) SITE: Architecture as art. London: Academy Editions

Magazines/ Catalogues

Lee, S (2010) Bernard Frize: Red, Yellow and Blue. Artmonthly 334, page 29

Schultz, D (2005) Joseph Beuys: Tate Modern. Artmonthly 285, page 21-22

Withers, R (2009) Nancy Spero: Museu D'art Contemporani de Barcelona. ArtForum (1st January

2009) page 202-203

Nicholas, F & Robecchi, Michele (2009) David Rickard: Test Flights. The Economist Plaza.London: Plank Publishing

Websites

Artnet (2000) Maurizio Cattelan [Internet] Available from:<

http://www.orbit.zkm.de/?q=node/44> [Accessed 17th

March 2010]

Bawden, L (2009) Dead Nouns: Caroline Rothwell [Internet] Available

from:<http://www.nzartmonthly.co.nz/carolinerothwell_001.html> [Accessed: 7th

March 2010]

Morrow, C.(2008) Architecture of Shadows: the sculptures of Caroline Rothwell [Internet]

Available from: <http://www.carolinerothwell.net/writing/architecture-of-shadows-the-sculptures-

of-caroline-rothwell> [Accessed 4th

March 2010]

Nichloas, F & Robecchi, M (2009) Test Flights: The Economist Plaza [Internet] Available from

:<http://www.newexhibitions.com/uploads/upload.000/id17571/press_release.pdf> [Accessed:18th



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February 2010]

Rickard, D (2009) Text [Internet] Available from: <http://www.david-rickard.net/text.html>

[Accessed 2nd

February 2010]

Schultz, D (2005) Joseph Beuys. [Internet] Available

from:<http://www.artmonthly.co.uk/beuys.html> [Accessed: 25th

February 2010]

Author Unknown (2010) Background Information: Art Guide [Internet] Available

from:<http://www.artguide.org/museums.php?id=4194513M> [Accessed 2nd

February 2010]

Author Unknown (2008) The Plaza [Internet] Available from:<http://www.economistplaza.com/theplaza.php> [Accessed 3

rd March 2010]

Video

Test Flights (2009) David Rickard. Youtube source. Availablefrom:<www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhJ4-Je5pB1> [Accessed 10th February 2010]

Anthony Gormley: Making Space (2009)Beeban Kidron. London: More4, 21st

November 2009

[video:DVD]

Email Correspondents

Rickard, D (2010) Subject: Test Flights [11th

February 2010] Personal E-mail to Hunt, V

([email protected]) from Rickard, D ([email protected]).

Rickard, D (2010) Subject: Architecture in test flights [19th

February 2010] Personal E-mail to

Hunt, V ([email protected]) from Rickard, D ([email protected]).

Rickard, D (2010) Subject: Latitudin, Longitudini- GalleriaMichelaRizzo- Venice [20th February

2010] Personal E-mail to Hunt, V ([email protected]) from Rickard, D ([email protected].

Rickard, D (2010) Subject: RE: Test Flights [7th March 2010] Personal E-mail to Hunt, V

([email protected]) from Rickard, D ([email protected]).

Rickard, D (2010) Subject: R E [13th

March 2010] Personal E-mail to Hunt, V

([email protected]) from Rickard, D ([email protected])

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