Art Museum Visit - Caitlin Dack

For my museum visit, I went to the Modern in Ft. Worth. I did the tour, walked the whole place and the thing that caught my attention was Richard Serra’s Vortex, 2002. This 67’ tall, 230 ton, twisted, curved steel structure was constructed using 2’’X10’ slabs and has a 10’ aperture at the top.

It is by far, the most interesting sculpture I have ever seen. It is interactive, and acoustic, and natural and gigantic. Upon approaching, you notice the vertical lines created by the steel plates balancing and leaning on each other. This giant column only gets bigger the closer you get, and as you enter through one of the two triangle-shaped openings formed by a gap between two plates, you find yourself in this round room with a huge opening 67 feet above you; it almost feels like you’re in a hole beneath ground level. Light enters the Vortex through the aperture at the top and through the ‘entrances’. As you walk around inside the Vortex, you hear every sound echoing instantly. Every step, cough, whisper and clap is reciprocated as if you were inside a giant bell. You quickly become a part of this work of art, forming rhythms and songs by banging on the sides and stomping on the ground and clapping and shouting and celebrating the day.
The way the steel tower looks so natural with its many curves, its rusty-colored earthy velour and rough texture make it look as if it grew there. Yet, Serra did this with very thick metal, warping and taming it to reflect his idea. I can’t even imagine the struggle that gave him; or the amount of math it involved. All the panels balance on each other for structural strength and sturdiness, not to mention how huge each panel is. Serra had to choreograph a team of helpers, cranes and ladders to plan it out, and a whole other group of people to help him get it there.
When the final product was revealed, it was just as Serra imagined it would be. Also, while planning the Vortex, Serra put some focus into making his newest idea congruent with the Modern art museum; not in size, but in emphasis. ‘The sculpture towers twenty-seven feet higher than the Museum’s rooftop. Its pronounced vertically is a center point to the horizontal presentation of the Modern’s architecture’ (Visitor’s Guide, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth), calling as much attention to its surroundings as it is to itself.
I would say the emphasis of the sculpture is interaction. Vortex is amazing even to look at, but a huge part of the beauty of it is feeling it and going inside and looking up and making harmony through noise while inside it. Vortex also brings out the inner-child of its visitors; upon my investigation of the structure, I felt the need to need to sit down and bang on the ground with all four of my limbs, which caused a lot of noise and a lot of strange glances from people who weren’t confident enough to do it themselves. Also, at that particular time of day the sun light warmed the panel opposite one of the openings and warmed the whole room along with it. There was a cool breeze outside, but you wouldn’t know it until you left the sculpture. And like I said, this was the most interesting sculpture I have ever seen.