The Starn Twins

Mike and Doug Starn

 

            I first learned about the Starn twins last semester, and I was curious about their work.   They work in a variety of mediums, such as photography, architecture, and sculpture.  Their artworks are often large-scale projects.  One of their most famous projects was an instillation called Big Bambú, which was a compilation of 3200 bamboo poles that Mike and Doug Starn lashed together.  Over the course of six months, visitors to the sculpture were invited to climb the sides of the bamboo and walk among its intricate pathways.  Another revolutionary feature of this project was that the sculpture was treated as a living body, and its physical shape was continually changing.  The Starn twins have an impressive body of other work, including large-scale photographs.

            I find the Starn twins to be refreshing.  I am motivated by the new ideas they have brought to the art world.  I especially like the idea of their Big Bambú project.  Instillation pieces have always held a certain interest with me because of the interaction between viewer and artwork, but the Start twins take it one step further.  Not only are the viewers interacting with the art, they are encouraged to get close and touch it as well.  I think that the bodily interaction with Big Bambú is important because it lets the audience connect on a deeper level with the art.  Another idea that I gained from this piece of art is the idea of an ever-changing artwork.  Many times when a piece is finished, it remains stagnant.  However, I will now revisit past artworks because Mike and Doug Starn have taught me that art is a living organism, and is subject to change.  I also like the idea that something that is constantly changing can only be preserved by memory.