'So Long Frank Lloyd Wright Bowl'
Bowl
1994 (made)
1994 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Mark Lindquist was one of the first American wood turners to present his works as sculptures, rather than functional objects. He began to make sculptural work in the early 1970s.
Lindquist has developed a range of unusual techniques to enable him to create large, energetic works. His signature 'plunge cuts', made with a chainsaw, give the interior of this bowl its furrowed texture. He began to use a chainsaw in this way in the 1970s. In contrast, the spiral on the exterior is very smooth and controlled. It was made using a rotary cutting tool (router) held on a robotic arm which Lindquist programmed to travel around the bowl. This is an early example of Lindquist's use of robotics. Around the base of the bowl, the spiral channel intersects with the plunge cuts to create a ring of small holes.
The title of the bowl is taken from a song by Simon and Garfunkel, and refers to the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The iconic spiral shape of Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York is reflected in the shape of the bowl. Lindquist's work often makes deliberate references to other artists; for example, he made a series of vertical pieces relating to the work of sculptor Constantin Brancusi. This strategy of drawing together disparate art-forms is typical of postmodernism, a movement with which Lindquist consciously identifies.
Lindquist has developed a range of unusual techniques to enable him to create large, energetic works. His signature 'plunge cuts', made with a chainsaw, give the interior of this bowl its furrowed texture. He began to use a chainsaw in this way in the 1970s. In contrast, the spiral on the exterior is very smooth and controlled. It was made using a rotary cutting tool (router) held on a robotic arm which Lindquist programmed to travel around the bowl. This is an early example of Lindquist's use of robotics. Around the base of the bowl, the spiral channel intersects with the plunge cuts to create a ring of small holes.
The title of the bowl is taken from a song by Simon and Garfunkel, and refers to the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The iconic spiral shape of Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York is reflected in the shape of the bowl. Lindquist's work often makes deliberate references to other artists; for example, he made a series of vertical pieces relating to the work of sculptor Constantin Brancusi. This strategy of drawing together disparate art-forms is typical of postmodernism, a movement with which Lindquist consciously identifies.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Title | 'So Long Frank Lloyd Wright Bowl' (assigned by artist) |
| Materials and techniques | Burr maple, turned and carved using a chainsaw and router |
| Brief description | 'So Long Frank Lloyd Wright Bowl', turned and carved bowl of burr maple, Mark Lindquist, United States of America (Florida), 1994 |
| Physical description | Turned and carved maple burl bowl on a round pedestal base decorated with two incised lines. The everted bowl is carved with an uneven rim and smooth spirals on the outside. The spiral cut was made by using a rotary cutting tool (router) held on a robotic arm that was programmed to travel around the curved profile of the bowl, gradually cutting a gouge into the surface. In contrast, the interior of the bowl is carved with irregular, vertical troughs which are Lindquist’s signature chainsaw ‘plunge cut’. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Donald Brecker and Mark Lindquist |
| Object history | The 'So Long Frank Lloyd Wright Bowl' formally features both the signature chainsaw 'plunge cut' and an early use of robotics. The spiral cut at the bottom of the piece was made with the use of robotics. A rotary cutting tool (router) held on a robotic arm was programmed to travel along the curved profile of the bowl. As Lindquist puts it in an e-mail, this technical experimentation results in a different relation between tool, artist and work. The piece is executed in maple burl. It is a favoured material of Lindquist's for its figure and homogenous internal structure. The piece refers to the great American architect Frank Lloyd Wright via the title. It is taken from a 1970 Simon and Garfunkel song. The shape of the object is a reference to Wright's Guggenheim in New York City. This layered set of allusions is typically Postmodern. The title might also be taken as a Postmodern slogan of sorts. |
| Place depicted | |
| Literary reference | The title of this bowl, 'So Long Frank Lloyd Wright Bowl', is taken from a song of the same name by Simon and Garfunkel, released in 1970. |
| Summary | Mark Lindquist was one of the first American wood turners to present his works as sculptures, rather than functional objects. He began to make sculptural work in the early 1970s. Lindquist has developed a range of unusual techniques to enable him to create large, energetic works. His signature 'plunge cuts', made with a chainsaw, give the interior of this bowl its furrowed texture. He began to use a chainsaw in this way in the 1970s. In contrast, the spiral on the exterior is very smooth and controlled. It was made using a rotary cutting tool (router) held on a robotic arm which Lindquist programmed to travel around the bowl. This is an early example of Lindquist's use of robotics. Around the base of the bowl, the spiral channel intersects with the plunge cuts to create a ring of small holes. The title of the bowl is taken from a song by Simon and Garfunkel, and refers to the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The iconic spiral shape of Wright's Guggenheim Museum in New York is reflected in the shape of the bowl. Lindquist's work often makes deliberate references to other artists; for example, he made a series of vertical pieces relating to the work of sculptor Constantin Brancusi. This strategy of drawing together disparate art-forms is typical of postmodernism, a movement with which Lindquist consciously identifies. |
| Bibliographic reference | Adamson, Glenn, ‘Filling a Gap: Recent acquisitions of turned wood at the V&A’, V&A Online Journal, No.2, Autumn 2009:
http://web.archive.org/web/20230112105123/http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/journals/research-journal/issue-02/filling-a-gap-recent-acquisitions-of-turned-wood-at-the-v-and-a/ |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | W.1-2009 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 26, 2009 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
