Barrows sculpture features Keystone
By Gavin Huang, The Dartmouth Staff
Published on Thursday, November 4, 2010
Max Heiges ’10 — the artist behind “The Juggler,” the current sculpture in the Barrows Rotunda — says “nobody rages anymore.”
Perhaps it was the floating chairs that caught the eye of Eric Waskowicz ’14, but it was most likely the 50-plus cans of Keystone beer that prompted him to snap a quick cell phone picture of “The Juggler,” a carefully balanced sculpture by studio art intern Max Heiges ’10.
“When I saw it, I just thought ‘Yeah, that’s Dartmouth,’” Waskowicz said.
The sculpture first appeared in the Barrows Rotunda in the front of the Hopkins Center on Sept. 19 and will remain on display until Dec. 2 as part of a series of student works. Heiges began conceptualizing the piece and gathering materials in the beginning of the term, he said. He obtained beer cans from the front lawns along Webster Avenue and boxes from Gamma Delta Chi fraternity, of which he is a member.
“I thought the precarious balance would catch people’s attention, and the cans provided a sound structural element to the piece,” Heiges said. “And I like beer. I like Keystone.”
Heiges received help from fellow studio art interns Kari Cholnoky ’10, Julia Zak ’10 and Jenny Qian ’10, who worked with him to achieve the structure’s balance. He first tested the piece’s stability in a studio and then constructed the piece in the rotunda.
“Once we got it all finally balanced, we used some chewing gum,” Heiges said with a smile. “Well, not really. Let’s just say a little elbow grease and some chewing gum.”
The piece contains only a few elements, but its construction is complex and delicate. A chair rests upside-down on top of another chair with only a stack of beer cans as support.
Heiges, a football player, decided to call it “The Juggler” because it invoked images of objects flying and being thrown around.
“I would hope everyone interprets it in their own way,” Heiges said. “If I wanted people to see it a certain way, I would have written a little blurb telling them how to see, but really, I think it’s open to interpretation.”
After a pause, Heighes added that there was one message to his work.
“Nobody rages anymore,” he said.
Following Heighes’ exhibit will be a piece by Qian, which will go up in the rotunda on December 6.
Max Heiges is an animal.
By MaxHeigesFanClub on Nov 4 | 9:12 am
This may be Dartmouth, but it’s not art. I was so embarrassed that out of all the cool exhibits we’ve had there, we had this throw-away, alcohol-fueled, non-conceptual “sculpture” when the world famous Frank Stella visited Dartmouth. I’m all for using found objects, but the point of a piece featured prominently in the middle of campus being nobody rages anymore is a pathetic reflection on the art program at Dartmouth, one of the few places where I have found serious conversation outside of the classroom that does NOT revolve around our drinking culture. le sigh
By Anonymous on Nov 9 | 9:38 pm
The fact that you reacted to Max’s piece so superficially should tell you something. You really think someone put a sculpture in that space in a totally vapid gesture? Immediately discounting deeper significance is something YOU should be embarrassed about, and the fact that you can’t see a pretty strong commentary on Dartmouth’s drinking culture is stupid. Max is free to tell journalists whatever the hell he wants—he can manipulate, he can choose to divulge or not divulge information, he can lie, it shouldn’t be about a quote he said in the D, it’s about the sculpture and how YOU react to it. Surprise!
By Anonymous on Nov 12 | 5:33 pm
what deeper significance are you referring to? the fact that dartmouth students precariously balance and juggle everything important in life on their barely concealed alcoholism? what a wonderfully original and extreme message, especially coming from a frat bro. my, my, what social change he will accomplish with this sculpture!
By Anonymous on Nov 13 | 10:43 pm
“It’s not art”? You can’t have taken any art classes at Dartmouth if you feel comfortable expressing such a shallow sentiment. Funny also how people are so quick to jump all over something because it uses Keystone cans and was made by a “frat bro”, all the while insisting that he is the who didn’t put any thought into conceptualizing or building the thing. Just because an artist refuses to be transparent about his concept or process does not mean that a piece of art is meant to be taken at surface value. Should we expect artists to spoonfeed us every nuanced theme and possible interpretation of their work? It’s no fun looking at art when you don’t have to think for yourself. Also, the sarcasm and condescension in Anon 10:43’s comment reads as pretty defensive – why react so venomously to the idea that a “frat bro” might actually be trying to challenge a campus to think critically and with a little more depth than it usually does? And just when you thought that the stereotyping of “frat bros” was the only acceptable kind of stereotyping left… my, my, what social change you will accomplish with your open-minded thinking.
By DAS ArtFiend on Nov 15 | 1:52 am
This is better than that hair curtain.
By Anonymous on Nov 15 | 3:12 pm