Guggenheim Bilbao

In 2009, I was studying Spanish at Universidad de Deusto in Bilbao, Spain.  The campus is just across the river from Frank Gehry’s incredibly impressive architectural achievement, The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao.  The three most memorable works I saw that spring were: Richard Serra’s gigantic sculptures including The Matter of Time (above), Jim Dime’s Three Red Spanish Venuses (above), and a film titled Zidane, a 21st century portrait by Douglas Gordan and Philippe Parenno (see link below.)

Serra’s structures enable visitors to explore and weave themselves through the artwork.  The art becomes more dynamic, as its effect on beholders can change, depending on where they position their bodies and the movements they decide to make.  Visitors create individual experiences as they forge a path around these steel sheets, while spectators often watch from above.

A scene from Zidane, a 21st century portrait-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuT4Msm6s5w&feature=related

Guggenheim Bilbao-

http://www.guggenheim.org/bilbao/