Richard Serra Questions & Answers

1. What were Richard Serra's goals for the installation?
--Serra's goal for the Duveen Galleries was to not take away from its original form, but to simply redefine the space. He wanted to make the space as one, reinforcing scale and the elements of the architecture as a whole.

2. Define the field Serra is referring to when he states that his sculptural elements need to create "enough tension within the field to hold the experience of presence in the place". How do you define "experience of presence"?
--The field Serra talks about is having a plane like visual. When you see the huge columns you see the vertical plane that also goes along with the horizontal plane created by the perspective you see. The "experience of presence" is seen to be very dependent on the self and how aware you are of the presence and the space.

3. How do the columns, pedestal condition, octagonal space and vertical axis challenge Serra?
--The columns are massive vertical structures that are made to be a transition from each individual gallery.The octagonal space is the dominant space that modifies whats already there and is used as a central space. The pedestal condition is read as a separate vertical volume that is out of scale with the other spaces, yet placed to be in perspective with everything as a whole to make it work. Serra had to deal with all of this and make everything work and flow together.

4. What is effective in terms of the shape, scale and number of the two square elements in the Duveen Galleries?
--The square elements were placed to emphasize the horizontal axis was that lacking compared to the vertical axis that was so dominant. The scale wasn't something that was well read into and its directionality was set up in a certain way to work with the sculptures and the architectural set up.

5. Describe the differences and similarities between Barnett Newman's and Richard Serra's work.
--Barnett Newman's work are less complicated to understand, it has a "lack of complexity" as Serra states. His work doesn't work with the space in every way, it just floats through. Richard Serra uses his space as an overall whole. He makes sure to consider everything, he works with the perspective, space, and both horizontal and vertical axis; making sure everything has a flow that works together.

Paper

Chapter 3 - Platforms that seperate / Slopes that join / Stairs that climb and pause
Chapter 10 - Types that recur / Order that comes and goes

Rooms, Intersections, and Circulation diagrams

Memory plan line drawing

Memory section line drawing