Up, up and a-weigh

By Jaclyn Youngblood     1/28/10 6:00pm

Your heart rate is not the only thing that will rise on your next trip to the Barbara and David Gibbs Recreation and Wellness Center. "Lift," an otherworldly installation piece by New York artist Aurora Robson, commands attention, drawing all eyes upward upon entry to the building.The sculpture, which hangs above the Rec Center lobby, is comprised of a large central orb, which Robson calls "Big Boy," and several smaller structures made of recycled bottles and bottle caps held together by thousands of rivets. University Art Director Molly Hubbard said the artist drew inspiration for the piece from solar flares.

"It's a solar system in an alternate universe," Hubbard said. "[Robson said] it feels like a planet that formed ... and now it's cooling down. Life is about to start there, but we don't know what kind of life."

The piece is designed to rotate and light up, but at the moment, it is stationary. Hubbard said funds for a solar panel component, the portion of the sculpture necessary to power the rotation and illumination, exceeded the budget allocated to the University Art Committee. She said funds are also being sought by Project Director Joe Buchanan to fund the additional piece.

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From the beginning of construction on the Rec Center, Hubbard said those on the University Art Committee knew they wanted the open space in the lobby filled by a ceiling sculpture. Hubbard said Robson - whose exhibit, "The Great Indoors," was on display at the Rice Gallery from September to October 2008 - visited the space last April and collaborated with the building architect to foster creativity.

Hubbard said Robson made a model of the sculpture that drew inspiration from solar flares and planet formation. After reviewing Robson's proposal, the committee commissioned her to create the piece for the Rec Center.

After spending four months working on the piece, Robson drove the artwork from New York City to Houston and arrived on campus Friday, Jan. 8. The sculpture was installed from Jan. 9-11, during which time about 20 people met with the artist, including donors, Art Committee members, faculty, staff and students.

The installation of the piece was not without its flaws, and Hubbard said it was plagued by several mechanical problems. The lift used to raise the structures to their suspended location malfunctioned numerous times, delaying completion until 3 a.m. on Jan. 11.

The piece, which was previously unnamed, earned its name from the difficulties, Hubbard said.

"[Robson] said, 'I was in the car and thinking [of] all the problems and what happened with the lift - the lift! Of course, that's the name!'" Hubbard said.

A formal opening reception for the piece is on hold, pending the acquisition of the necessary funds for the solar panel component, which Hubbard hopes to secure by March. Pending receipt of the funds, there will be a reception for the public that will feature comments by the artist, an education program about the piece and a potential presentation on solar flares by Howard Hughes Provost Eugene Levy, also a professor of physics and astronomy.

Bringing academic and extracurricular departments together through art is an emphasized goal of President David Leebron's Vision for the Second Century, Hubbard said.

"When [Levy] saw the solar flares, he said, 'I'd love to talk about that if you need someone to speak about [them]," Hubbard said. "We're trying to work across disciplines."

The committee is also trying to coordinate a collaborative project between Robson and students with the hopes of installing an additional piece of art outside the Rec Center, Hubbard said.

Martel College senior Maggie Murphy, who frequents the Rec Center as she trains for a triathlon, said she believes including students in the process of art acquisition and installation will foster pride in the art.

"Rice is traditionally so focused on its students, and if we bring that level of concentration to the art sphere, students may be inspired to take a more active role in on-campus art," Murphy said.

The piece is the first to be funded by the "one-half of one percent" program that is being applied to all new construction and renovation projects. Hubbard said this program, which fulfills one the goals of the V2C, sets aside one-half percent of the budget of a construction or renovation project for art.

Rec Center Director Tina Villard said she finds the artwork an integral piece of the new gym because of the additional layer it adds to the building.

"It's important for students to get that background [in art]." she said. "If we didn't have this [piece] here, it may be something they would never get to see."

Hubbard said the art committee has been working to find suitable artwork for some of the newest buildings on campus, including the BioScience Research Collaborative, Duncan College, McMurtry College and the Brochstein Pavilion. Each of these buildings qualifies for the one-half percent program, Hubbard said. Additionally, the committee is currently narrowing down five artists to commission a piece for Brockmann Hall, she said.

Villard said the installation has been a conversation starter, adding that student reaction has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Most people [come] in and are in awe," Villard said. "Most people really enjoy the fact that it is recycled material."

Murphy, a self-proclaimed Lifetime Physical Activity Program enthusiast, said her frequent trips to the Rec Center have been enhanced by the installation.

"[Rice] invests in having state-of-the-art buildings, like Duncan and McMurtry, but we don't invest the same amount into a space that is aesthetically pleasing, with a vibrancy that matches that of Rice's students," she said. "This piece will become a visual hallmark for the building.

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