Matthew Ritchie: "The Morning Line" | Art21 "Exclusive"

Episode #027: Matthew Ritchie discusses his upcoming exhibition "The Morning Line" (2008) in his New York studio, with animated architectural schematics of the installation. "The Morning Line" will be on view October 2, 2008 - January 11, 2009 at the Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo in Seville, Spain, as part of the 3rd Bienal Internacional de Arte Contemporáneo de Seville.

Matthew Ritchie's artistic mission has been no less ambitious than an attempt to represent the entire universe and the structures of knowledge and belief that we use to understand and visualize it. Ritchie's encyclopedic project (continually expanding and evolving like the universe itself) stems from his imagination, and is cataloged in a conceptual chart replete with allusions drawn from Judeo-Christian religion, occult practices, Gnostic traditions, and scientific elements and principles.

Matthew Ritchie is featured in the Season 3 (2005) episode Structures of the Art:21—Art in the Twenty-First Century television series on PBS.

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Learn more about Matthew Ritchie: http://www.art21.org/artists/matthew-ritchie

VIDEO | Producer: Eve Moros Ortega and Nick Ravich. Camera: Joel Shapiro. Sound: Judy Karp. Editor: Mary Ann Toman. Artwork Courtesy: Matthew Ritchie and Aranda/Lasch. Thanks: Benjamin Aranda.

In the last couple of years, I've been exploring the idea

of how to move, kind of drawing into the environment.

And in that sense, as I began working more and more with large institutions and architects,

It became pretty clear that the architectural engagement was really an important part of the process.

And at the same time, I wanted to preserve this idea that is very intrinsic to my work.

The idea of an accident, or the chance encounter.

And obviously, the two things are very different, because architecture is kind of focused on

making sure that everything is always the same, everytime. And the building doesn't fall down.

The taps work, the windows work... Everything has to be very fixed.

So a piece like the Morning Line, you start to engage in a really strong dynamic between

forces of chance that you might be able to control inside the gallery, and the forces of chance you can't control at all.

Like rain, and wind, and erosion...

And also, large scale institutional expectations for large groups of people.

As soon as you put things outside, people don't behave the way they behave in a gallery.

So then, the question becomes here, can you add anything to that, in the way of chance encountered.

Can you increase the randomness of the world.

And create an environment which can sustain a kind of pleasure in that randomness.

And also make it meaningful.

You could just be in a street corner and throw eggs at people. That would be pretty random too. [Laughs]

But you want to create something that has a larger meaning and create some sort of more depth.

But actually bringing it into the world rather than sequestered in the vault of the gallery.