Assembly Required
Some pieces look quirky, others quizzical. But it's imagination that make the show a cool spectacle.
You have a little time left to see how many eggs have been broken by Will Eccelston's sledge hammer at Eyedrum.
The Atlanta artist's inspired contraption begins with a knife that slowly saws through a rope, a little more each time the door to Eyedrum opens. The rope snaps, and the hammer drops. Suffice to say, the supply of eggs and rope has been dwindling.
There are not may shows that combine such up-front show stoppers with back-gallery small treasures. But "Assemblation" has the very big and very gorgeous-Lillian Blades' stunning quilt-like fabric installation takes up an entire hallway-as well as the very small and very gorgeous.
Some of the little objects are funny, too, but many more are poetic. Veronica Scarpellino's homage to Proust's famous quest for times gone by is both. Tiny glass vials containing silvery watch parts rest in a red velvet case, and they're dazzling even if you miss the joke. Half a dozen other artists likewise turn combinations of precious and ordinary things into delicate works of art.
The stuff made from sheer trash may be the most attention-grabbing, though. Amandine Drounet's incredibly lovely recyclings of egg cartons and fluffy fabric as well as Nicholas Fraser's sculpture made of cellophane windows with junk-mail envelopes will leave do-it-yourselfers forever jealous. Especially since he includes a work table for doing it yourself.
Overall, this is seriously kicky proof that (mostly) local artist make stuff that both art world insiders and casual visitors can agree is amazing.
by Jerry Cullum
for Access Atlanta