David Claerbout

So Michael and I were both late in meeting each other: we planned to meet for lunch before the talk. We met just before the talk in the gallery. Our guide was great, very informative and I enjoyed his way of speaking. He has a wonderful way of being fully present yet seeming just a little bit disengaged, which seems very MIT to me.
As for the exhibit, the first piece blew me away. I loved how the shadow came into the space so that the viewer was engulfed and engaged by it. I also loved how the piece was visible from both sides and how that changed your perspective on the piece.
I was intrigued by the highway ramps, but not enough to stick around and find out what was hidden in the foreground.
The umpteen versions of a story playing for 13 hours did not pull me in, although the view and architecture were very intriguing.
The many images about the moment of throwing a ball alternatively attracted and repelled me, as I soon felt it was too full of artifice to work.
I loved the still picture of the kids where just the trees moved. This was my favorite piece, so simple, yet so sublime. Are the kids moving, and the trees stopped, or the other way around?
In general, I liked how he plays with time and with digital media, and his work scares me. It is so full of artifice and manipulation that I don't know what is real, which may be his point. I also started to expect him to manipulate me, so I could not see later pieces in the collection without wondering what the fakery was.
In all, a good exhibit and perfect for our class.