Narrator: American artist Maren Hassinger created Leaning in 1980. It is an installation of 32 bundles made from wire rope and thin filament wire. Each measures sixteen inches high, or in metric units, about 41 centimeters high.
The 32 dark grayish-brown bundles are placed directly onto the gallery floor and arranged in a scatter, each positioned about one to two feet apart, or 60 centimeters. If we could hover above it, we would observe an organic, oval-shaped configuration that spans a 6-by-12-foot area, or in metric units, about 2 by 4 meters.
Each bundle tilts in a different direction, as if windblown, creating a visual field of motion low to the ground. As a whole, the installation resembles a landscape of small, uprooted trees that fall slightly below knee level. These tiny trees have bare branches up top and exposed roots below.
To get a better sense of the work, we will now focus our description on a single bundle from this installation.
One bundle contains 10 vertical wire rope pieces that have been wrapped together like stems in a bouquet. The center of each wire rope is compact—straight and cylindrical in shape. But as we travel out towards the top and bottom, the ends fray out like the bristles on a worn broom.
If we were to touch one of these bundles, the top might feel bushy, but also sharp and coarse like a metal brush. Then, as our hands travel toward the center, we might feel the smooth ridges of the twisted metal strands. From top to bottom, the material is cool to the touch, making our fingers tingle.
Hassinger once outlined her process for making one of these bundles.
Artist, Maren Hassinger: I first discovered the material in a salvage yard in Los Angeles. It reminded me of fiber. And it is pliable like fiber, but strong like steel.
Narrator: She cut the long ropes into 16-inch pieces, about 40 centimeters, and focused her attention on the rope ends, which she unraveled to reveal the delicate threads.
Maren Hassinger: Then I had unwrapped all these wire rope lengths, and we bound them. And we figured out a way of putting them together in the bundles that they’re in.
Narrator: To prevent further fraying, she tightly coiled thin silver filament wire around the center of the dark metallic rope.
Despite being made out of industrial materials, Hassinger feels the work is connected to nature.
Maren Hassinger: It has all of this quality of being like a flowing river, a blowing branch in the wind, leaves, twigs. It reminds me of all of these things. And it has to do with movement.
Narrator: Perhaps inspired by her training as a dancer, Hassinger intended this work to approximate feet or legs moving in space. We invite you to experiment with movement inspired by this installation. Feel free to imagine or try moving as you are able.
In a standing or seated position with your legs spread wider than hip distance, raise your arms overhead to create a V-shape. Now your arms and legs are mirroring one another with your torso upright. Try swaying your arms slowly left and right, forward and backward, as if blowing in the wind. Imagine performing this movement with a group of people, individually yet collectively, resembling the bundles in this installation.