As you know, we recently changed the color of a number of Flavin lamps in our galleries, thereby creating “Phase 2″ of Dan Flavin: Constructed Light. You may have noticed, however, that several of the works remained the same color, including the piece installed in our first floor corridor. This work is an impressive, staggering display of overwhelmingly green light (96 two-foot green lamps tend to dominate a space!).

Despite the fact that the color of these lamps hasn’t changed, the lamps themselves are soon to be replaced - with brand new versions of their former selves (still green!). We noted that over time, some of the lamps in this work were beginning to blacken on the ends. On certain lamps, dark spots (almost like thumbprints) began to form, and a few lamps quit working altogether. The manager of the Flavin Studio indicated that this is a phenomenon that sometimes happens with Flavin’s work, especially when you get a whole bunch of tubes together in a tight space. The massing of fluorescent light can create strange effects on the lamps themselves - in this case streaking, darkening, and black spots.

As a result, we have decided to do a mass replacement of all of the lamps in this work. New two-foot green lamps will soon be installed (look for them within the next week). We’ve been told that since this blackening phenomenon happened once, it might eventually happen with the new lamps as well. However, we are expecting that this mid-exhibition replacement will give the piece a rejuvenated look, one that will hopefully last through the extent of the show.

Before today when we walked down the green hallway, there was a yellow vertical piece at the end  situated on the corner of the wall in the Entrance Gallery.

This morning, we were met with a new color at the end of the hallway:

You’ll have to come by tomorrow night to see what else has changed…

So right now, we’re in the midst of re-installing certain works in our exhibition for phase 2 of Dan Flavin: Constructed Light.  It’ll open this Friday, during the Grand Center Gallery Walk.  The installation is on hold today because our galleries are open to the public (30 minutes left to see the phase 1 artworks!), but will resume again tomorrow.  I’ll try to sneak some photos of the process.  We’re also working on scheduling the photography for phase 2 to put in both our print and web catalogues, along with a description about the change and the precedent set by Dan Flavin for doing this.  I’ll be posting those as I get them.  Stay tuned.

The Pulitzer’s current exhibition has an interesting twist: it is two exhibitions in one. The registrars’ department is now preparing for the installation of phase two of Dan Flavin: Constructed Light to be completed by May 16, 2008.Part of the installation process is as simple as changing lamp colors in several of the Flavins. It is more complicated in the lower level hallway where the objects’ fixtures will be reconfigured and the lamp colors will be changed. In all cases, the resulting objects are different works of art, creating different effects within the building’s spaces.

We will be making these changes over a few days the week of May 12. On Wednesday, May 14, the Pulitzer is open as usual and phase one of the exhibition will still be on view except in the lower level hallway. We will still be installing in that hallway so that all will be ready for the phase two “opening” at the Grand Center Arts Walk at 5 p.m. on Friday, May 16.

Now on our homepage is Video 3 in the Exhibition Install Series.  This showcases the actual installation of Flavin’s artworks within the Pulitzer building.  We were lucky to have a chance to speak with Steve Morse, who is the Exhibition Coordinator and Conservator of the Flavin Studio.   Watch the video (and get a sneak peek of the exhibition) here.

Unrelated: but I just really liked what Tyler Green had to say in this post here and then this post here.

Installation video number 2 is now on our homepage.  It shows the next phase of the installation process - the removal of art work from the previous exhibition.  This time, we removed two VERY complicated art works that have been view here for 5 years - Richard Serra’s Stand Point and Joplin.  The process that goes into moving these massive works is amazing.  It’s a must-see.  Expect a longer companion piece to this video in the coming weeks.

During every installation of a new exhibition, I’ve noticed there’s always that “key moment” when the staff gets visibly excited about the new show. Everyone has already been looking forward to it, of course, and busy working towards the new exhibition in each of their respective jobs. But once the new art works start going up, and we finally get to see what we’ve been talking about for so many months, it all becomes a lot more real and exciting.

This moment happened yesterday when the first Flavin works were turned on. We saw them reflect in the concrete floor, bounce off the water in the watercourt and reflect on the windows, which in turn reflected natural light off the water and back into the galleries, and so on. It looked incredible. Everyone seemed to be buzzing about it. You’ll get to have a glimpse too in an upcoming “install video” on our homepage next week…

UPDATE:  I couldn’t resist….

Light reflecting in the watercourt:

This is in the office hallway - the light is coming from the Main Gallery through two sets of windows and over the watercourt.  And the light is still this bright:

Earlier today, I was remembering how I wrote - what seems like not that long ago- about the installation of a Flavin work for our exhibition Minimalism and Beyond. Here’s the link to the post and here’s a photo of the installed work. It was located in the Lower Gallery with a work by Roni Horn:

I remember getting a kick out of flipping on the light switch to “turn on the art”. Now, we’ll be flipping switches to turn on an entire exhibition. I’ll be getting some stories, photos (and video!), in the next few days. In the meantime, take a look at the exhibition flyer that’s now posted around town:

With the holidays right around the corner, I wanted to mention that the Pulitzer will still be open our regular days.  Also you only have 6 more days left to see Water before it closes forever.  So hurry!

The holidays plus 6 more days left of Water means that all of our attention is completely on getting ready for Flavin.  A lot of the staff will be out of the office beginning next week, so everyone is trying to get things done so we’re ready for install when we’re back in the office.  Everyone’s days around here have been full of related meetings — this week, I have meetings about video for our website during Flavin, film programs during Flavin, the opening of Flavin,  the web catalogue and print campaigns for Flavin, etc.  I know some of my colleagues have had even more.  I’ll try to get some guest blogs in the next few days to find out what they’re all working on!

If you’re a regular visitor at the Pulitzer, then you’d be very familiar with two works that have consistently been on view for the past few years in the Main Gallery — Stand Point and Joplin by Richard Serra.

Well these two works will both be saying goodbye and will be de-installed before Flavin opens.  I remember hearing stories about the installation of these two works and it sounded incredibly complicated (and must’ve been amazing to watch).  And maybe, just maybe we’ll be posting videos of the de-installation this time on our website…

In the meantime, take a look at this photo from the installation of Joplin: