Bruce Nauman - "Mapping the Studio I"

My favorite piece at the Dia: Beacon was “Mapping the Studio I” by Bruce Nauman. Nauman was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on December 6, 1941. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, but quickly became interested in art. His most used mediums are sculpture, photography, video, and performance. Nauman’s artistic influences and inspiration come from Samuel Beckett, Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Cage, Philip Glass, La Monte Young and Meredith Monk. The piece I chose, “Mapping the Studio I”, is one of several similar video pieces. The piece itself takes up an entire room. In the center are several old looking metal stools. Every wall has a different projected video playing on it, so that you feel as though you are in another room. Because of the night vision footage and dim lights the effect is eerie. This causes the viewer to look for something else, like movement, or any hint into what the artist was thinking when he created this strange piece.