Rice Gallery’s installation inspires daydreaming

Get your head in the clouds
Rice Gallery’s installation inspires daydreaming

BY JESSICA STARK
Rice News Staff

You might not have the opportunity in Houston to walk through a winter wonderland, but through Dec. 9 you have the chance to experience similar sentiments by strolling through the large, snowflake-like sculptures in Rice Gallery.

In her largest installation to date, artist Kirsten Hassenfeld transformed the 40-by-44-foot gallery into a stage for “dreams on the edge of vanishing.” The title of the installation, “Dans la Lune,” references a French idiom that means “head in the clouds.”

NASH BAKER

“In my work I try to create an imaginary place that relates to our longings for a better, grander existence,” Hassenfeld said.

To evoke the feeling of grandeur and luxury, Hassenfeld used the most ordinary of goods — paper. She created droplet-like structures four to eight feet in diameter, suspended them from the ceiling and adorned them with a myriad of details. Once lit, the translucent sculptures resemble gems, crystals and other ornate objects.

Hassenfeld used intricacies throughout the installation to inspire intrigue. There’s a branch holding a tiny swing, a woman leading a lacey pony within a miniature gazebo and a pendant featuring Bacchus raising his cup of wine.

“Some people look at celebrity homes in magazines as a means of escape; this is my form of escapism that I am willing to share,” Hassenfeld said.

Creative freedom

“Dans la Lune” contains the biggest objects Hassenfeld has ever created.

“It was very exciting to have the opportunity to create these large, illuminated structures; this project would have been impossible for me to execute without additional support,” Hassenfeld said. “Without the support of Rice Gallery, I would have been unable to move forward with the kind of creative freedom that I feel the project demands.”

As she developed her installation and began making the sculptures, Hassenfeld found that the expense was greater than she anticipated and Rice Gallery’s resources were invaluable.

“The understructures are complex to fabricate,” Hassenfeld said. “In addition to costly lightweight materials and laser-cutting services, I needed the expertise of an engineer and expert fabricators to design and manufacture the hardware that will hold the pieces’ ‘skeletons’ together.”

Focusing on artists

Rice Gallery supports artists like Hassenfeld as they realize their most ambitious works. The gallery fully funds installations from start to finish, often providing artists with the most financial support they have ever received.

“At the Rice Gallery, we are artist-focused,” said Kimberly Davenport, gallery director. “We have created an environment that allows young artists to expand their concepts into well-developed, large-scale works and that gives midcareer and well-established artists the chance to fine-tune their ideas and methods.”

Aside from the size and shape of the space, the gallery is set apart by its ability to mitigate some of the challenges artists face by focusing only on temporary works. Rice Gallery artists do not need to scale down or rethink their project to make it transportable or able to be archived. The artists’ works only need to last as long as their respective shows. What happens to the installation after the show is up to the individual artist.

Hassenfeld has not made definite plans for the fate of “Dans la Lune,” so Rice Gallery might be the only place to see it. Her show will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 9.

The Rice Gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Thursday until 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed Mondays and university holidays.