Dan's Papers - December 14, 2007 - Art Commentary With Marion Wolberg Weiss

A panel discussion at the Parrish Museum about the life and work of Alan Shields started with the statement, "Alan was a child of the 1960s."

Truer words were never spoken to describe Shields' love of life, spontaneity and experimentation. But the "child" implications evoke other meanings for this critic. The first impression a viewer gets upon entering the exhibit, in fact, is that this is a child's wonderland, with its colorful installations, imaginative shapes and "come play with me" attitude.

Child or not, that's exactly what we want to do: the pieces beckon us to run around the tent and drum-like configurations on the floor; to reach for the gumdrop form suspended from the ceiling; to run our fingers through the strings and webs on the walls.

In a nutshell, Shields' exhibition is a glorious playground that conjures up memories from our childhood. Even so, such memories go beyond our recalling a specific time and place from our past: Shields' works bring forth recollections of the senses, much like "The Method" style of acting might do.

We can actually hear childrens' voices as they climb into the tent or large drum; we can actually smell/taste the peppermint flavor of the piece hung from the wall.

Most importantly, however, is the kinetic sense of motion that Shields' shapes allow us to experience from our childhood: a merry-go-round revolving in space; a centrifuge (drum) twirling off its hinges; a maypole begging to be climbed. But that's not all regarding motion. How about the strings that stretch across Shields' canvases or the ribbons that twist around his poles, all constantly moving?

Motion plays still another part in Shields' installation: the physical movement we might exert if we were to traverse the pieces, going up and down their sides, up and down their vertical lengths (the poles), climbing in and out of their spaces.

The idea of motion recalls another metaphor besides a playground. How about a circus, with Shields' strings on canvas evoking a tightrope swinging in the air? It's the tightrope walker, of course, who is supposed to be moving, but who can forget the rope itself floating high above the crowds in Fellini's La strada (a film that often takes place in a circus setting )? Or the young heroine watching from below? They are movie images we don't easily forget, perhaps because tightropes are those peculiar objects in life that inspire both fear and hope.

Alan Shields' installation at the Parrish Museum inspires us as well, to both remember the past and to "feel" our childhood. In that regard, Shields is not only a "child" of the 1960s, but one that transcends very decade.

Alan Shields: "Stirring up the Waters" will be on view at Southampton's Parrish Museum until December 3l. Call 631-283-2118.