By Ron Evans
For the month of May, MAC Gallery at WVC will be hosting an installation by the acclaimed Seattle-based multi-disciplinary duo Lead Pencil Studio (Annie Han + Daniel Mihalyo).
Their works, drawing on their backgrounds in architecture and studio arts, have appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, at museums of all scales, non-profits, commercial galleries, independent projects, international art fairs and private/public commissions.
For their MAC Gallery exhibition, LPS presents a suite of wire sculptures and line-based drawings that lend material presence to the geometry of windows and framed light that lands on interior spaces. This work continues their ongoing interest into the ephemeral and emotional qualities inherent in constructed space.
- MAC Gallery
I reached out to the artists to learn more about this show and how they conceive, plan and install their unique and complex works.
When experiencing your work there’s a lot to take in - angle, contrasts, reflection and texture and often elements of the abstract. When creating your pieces, are you in constant “stand back - take note - and make adjustments” mode all along the way? In other words, is there room for Bob Rossian “happy accidents” here and there or are you engineering all aspects with specific intention?
When we work on public projects that involve a ton of collaborators and vetting with agencies, we have to make nearly all the decisions years in advance of the actual fabrication. As such, with these works we are forced by the process to keep spontaneity to minimum. We do however make nearly all of the work ourselves in our shop. Keeping fabrication in-house does allow for a great deal of adjusting along the way. Other types of work, such as gallery, museum and art fair shows, are typically studio-based or made on-site during the installation phase, and with these works there is a fair amount of ‘standing back’ and reconsidering along with going with the process of making. So yes, there are many happy accidents or unexpected surprises along the way.
On a similar note, tell us about the earliest planning and prep stages for your works. How much are you typically locking into in this phase vs. shooting from the hip and letting some of the work manifest how it will?
We prefer to talk it over until the last possible hours before a deadline and then execute. We suspect that this is because there are two of us and we must both love the idea. It is natural that delaying decision-making continues the dialogue and we both have a chance to reflect, critique and modify. If we worked alone, it would be far easier to convince yourself that the first idea was the best one and the one that needed doing. While our collaborative method misses some of the ‘shots from the hip,” it benefits from lots of dialogue and a lot of version 1.0 ideas sent to the dustbin.
Talk about the use of contrast, depth and texture along with an interest in both real world objects and fractal, more organic (chaotic?) shapes and lines.
The first three are techniques that we employ to improve the legibility of the work and we think a lot about the use of them, constantly adjusting as we go along – both in sculpture as well as 2D work. The latter half of this question pertains to the subject matter. We are very attracted to artworks that can exist in the real world – objects that are aware of the gravity and that are at least tangentially familiar. We use architecture as our lexicon to communicate our observations and feelings specific to a topic, site or subject at hand. We do employ a fair amount of reduction and abstraction in forms, and shy from organic shapes for the most part – although we always seem to make exceptions when trees are involved.
Is there a difference in how you approach these varied styles and elements, conceptually?
Well, we would say that there is a wide spectrum of ideas that we are pursuing conceptually across time. Ideas and notions are often revisited, as is the case with this show, but methods and materials are also revisited for cross purposes. In other words, we might have been interested in the significance of windows 15 years ago and chose to use only drawings and video to explore some thoughts – where now we are revisiting the idea using steel and wire filigree to cover explore some different angles on the subject.
Would you call yourselves designers of sorts?
For years, and on the advice of artists in the generation above us, we were told to suppress our education as architects – since the professional divide was so stark and mutually exclusive. These days, with everyone claiming a multi-hyphenate pedigree it’s something of a non-issue, which is a welcome change. We are interested in and concerned about architecture and the City as a project of human expression. We do have architecture projects so the clients do refer to us as designers or architects when we do those projects.
Is there a conscious effort to decide how ‘open to interpretation’ any one piece should be? In other words, how interested are you in steering the viewer in one direction or another concerning their takeaway?
We try to say as little as possible about work in pretext. This grew out of our feeling that an artwork is visual and therefore the physical qualities should be the primary form of communication of what is presented. We sometimes write or provide background to those who are interested but are not big believers in wall-text and didactic or scripted meanings. We prefer people to be drawn to a work on its own visual merit and if there is deep interest, to make available some more thought – but not at the expense of closing down the possibility of alternate interpretation. People will interpret work on a first impression anyway and many of the most meaningful words said about our work come from people who say exactly what they feel and without curatorial text as a guide.
Intention aside, artists often hear interpretations of their work they find surprising. Have either of you seen or heard a response to your work that really stuck with you for one reason or another?
It is rare to be able to really hear the internal reaction with most people, but there have been a few notable occasions over the years and they nearly always come from eavesdropped gleanings. On our first museum show at the Henry Art Gallery in 2005, we happened to be at the museum on a typical weekday to do something else, and there was a large class of maybe first or second graders with a chaperone, a teacher and a docent walking them through our installation Minus Space. They asked the children to sit on the floor in a semi-circle near the artwork and somebody asked, “Does this artwork make you feel anything?” A boy who was excitedly kneeling (instead of sitting cross-legged with the others) put his hand up with exuberance and said “I just feel so lucky to be able to see this.” We’ve no idea who that young person was, but that was enough right there to fuel us for a lifetime of art-making.
Talk about the logistical side of planning and successfully installing some of your larger (heavier) assemblies. This must be something you have to think of pretty early on I’m guessing?
As the work grew larger, we had to up our game on being prepared and professional on job-sites. We are often operating under a larger general contractor and there again under a larger municipal or Federal agency and so we are routinely required to perform as though we were a professional sub-contractor. Aside from operating our own heavy equipment and dealing with some rather serious life-safety concerns, the most difficult thing to keep up with are the constantly evolving safety and training protocols that the pro’s get updated on or trained monthly. We, on the other hand, often show up on a job and are suddenly required to prove this or that certificate or training card, so that has been a continual moving target and a challenge to anticipate.
Have you had any particular installations that proved especially challenging? And are permits required for some of the structures?
Most artwork operates in a gray-area with regard to permitting and certain projects are allowed to proceed without a permit, where others – though small, are examined by the building department to the hilt. Our project in Portland Inversion +/- , was by far the most challenging if only because the site was over a complex right-of-way at the end of a bridge, over a sidewalk and parallel to a four-lane highway with constant semi-truck traffic. We had little room to maneuver, no room for error and had to setup lane closures for overhead welding on a weekly basis with a bunch of very angst-ridden commuters. It would be hard to imagine a more difficult situation to install an artwork.
Tell us a little about what we can expect at your upcoming exhibit at MAC Gallery in Wenatchee.
We believe in Scott (Bailey) and Natalie (Dotzauer) at the college and have always wanted to show with them in their gallery space. We’ve long wanted to revisit the subject of architectural openings and the shape of light they provide. This invitation from Scott has given us this opportunity to think fresh on the topic, take a step back from our larger work and make some art for pure pleasure and exploration. Nothing could be more enjoyable for us.
Is there a dream project you have in mind that may be out of reach at the moment but something you are working toward?
Well, we’ve always wanted to find barren 40 acres with a cliff somewhere in Eastern Washington and use it as a platform for something crazy. We’re still looking for just the right site – but we’ve also been searching ever since our Maryhill Double project in 2006.
Anything coming down the road you would like to mention?
We are chipping away on a 100 year old building next to our shop and hoping to open this year with the first public segment that might lead the way to more arts-supporting venue spaces in the years to come. We are also in the final stretch of fabrication on a large sculpture up in Vancouver BC that will look something like a narrow slice of a stadium bleacher. It’s been in planning for 10 years and we’re very excited to see that come together after a 2 year pandemic delay.
Lead Pencil Studio: Shadow Aperture
WVC MAC Gallery
May 6—June 17, 2022
First Friday Opening Reception:
May 6, 5:00—7:00pm
Artists’ Talk: May 6, 4:00—5:00 in the MAC Grove Recital Hall
