Ryan McLay: Studies in Material Culture by Ryan Legassicke
Material culture is just what it says it is – namely, the manifestations of culture through material productions. And the study of material culture is the study of material to understand culture, to discover the beliefs – the values, ideas, attitudes, and assumptions – of a particular community or society at a given time (Prown 1).
This quote from Jules David Prown is a good starting point from which to look at the current studio work of fourth year glass major Ryan McLay. Glass (specifically blown glass) has traditionally been a material associated with utilitarian objects. McLay has taken this basic notion and chosen to explore it on a broader level while combining it with an interest in both science and art. He has taken everyday primitive hand tools and made a storage case, reminiscent of a basement or garage workshop, for their public display. In addition, he has developed and produced glass objects that reference common tools, however due to their material they appear exotic or of alien origin. His intent is to show these objects together in public settings and to record people’s interactions with them. The hope is that the viewer will (as Ryan has) consider the objects origins, functions, and/or meanings. The tools are hung, and are not locked to the display case thus allowing people to go beyond simply viewing and to experience the objects through physically holding them. This gives the participant an experience that differs from that of the traditional hands off display of most museums. Also inside the case, hidden to the participant, are video cameras that send signals to a monitor where the artist/scientist can view the activity without being detected. Research is done through these observations. In addition, these images are recorded so that they can be shown in a gallery/lab context for further analysis. The case is also taken to multiple locations so that differences in behaviour can be compared.
In the gallery, monitors continually show both recorded and live video that comes from the actual case, which is at a separate location. As a result, the participants at first function as subjects, then are transformed into the role of the scientist, as they simultaneously view both the live and recorded video, while observing and comparing what is going on. In relation to scientists and communication, the contemporary American artist Mark Dion has said that “…one of the fundamental problems is that even if scientists are good at what they do, they’re not adept in the field of representation” (Dion 11). Through McLay’s work, common tools can be re-experienced and re-interpreted in comparison with familiar and foreign objects. Participants also have the opportunity to take a removed glimpse at their own and/or others behaviour when encountering these objects. This dual role encourages new interpretations and increases consciousness of our own material world.
Dion, Mark. “interview with Miwon Kwon.” Mark Dion. Lisa Graziose Corrin, Miwon Kwon, Norman Bryson. London: Phaidon Press Ltd., 1997. 6-33.
Prown, Jules David. “the truth of material culture: history or fiction?” History from things: essays on the socio-semiotics of objects. Ed. Stephen Lubar and W.David Kingery. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993. 1-19.