Marco Cochrane’s “Bliss Dance” sculpture is big. Really big. In fact, the artist had to rent a gigantic warehouse situated on San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island, just to accommodate the size of the piece. But size is not what makes “Bliss Dance” unique.
Monument size statues lay peppered across the United States. They’re a dime a dozen. Heck, if you want size, look no further than the Statue of Liberty.
No, Marco Cochrane’s “Bliss Dance” relies on more than just sheer size, which at 40 feet is, admittedly, rather impressive. It relies on presentation.
Not content to merely create something large, something that demands attention, the artist chose to light the piece, not dramatically, but dynamically. And he did so in a way that both keeps the piece fresh and interesting, and allows for viewer input.
With Cochrane’s iPad and iPhone app, the viewer can select from a host of internal and external lighting options, ranging from the color of the lights to their intensity. This makes for not only beautiful art, but for a sense of user participation. And it’s this participation that really sets “Bliss Dance” apart.
More than that, though, it’s an example of the successful marriage of art and technology—something seldom seen in the 21st century, what with programs like zbrush and mudbox largely replacing traditional sculpting efforts.
Hopefully, more will follow in Marco Cochrane’s footsteps, proving that traditional sculpture still has a place in this brave new world.
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American Fine Arts Foundry – AFA 