Angela Ziganshina, Chair for Hippies Who Enjoy the Ocean and Drink Gatorade by Phoebe Washburn
Immediate Response
I was initially a bit surprised when I saw this piece of artwork, I was not expecting to see the combination of the things put together in the piece. My eyes were first drawn to the small colorful circles in the middle of the chair, which reminded me of the breakfast cereal cheerios, which I thought was humorous and made me feel happy because I always ate that cereal growing up. The orange extension cord also stood out to me and I honestly thought it was a bit random in regards to the overall piece.
Objective Description
Phoebe Washburn’s Chair for Hippies Who Enjoy the Ocean and Drink Gatorade consists of a tan folded chair hanging on a wall. The main area of the chair where a person normally sits is covered in rows of small sea urchins that look like mini donuts. Their colors range from white and tan and progress to light blue and green and you glance further down the chair. They finally end with dark blue towards the bottom. Finally, there is a bright orange extension cord wrapped numerous times around the leg of the chair.
Technical Decisions
This work’s title certainly impacts my understanding and interpretation of it because it makes it clear exactly what the little pieces in the middle of the chair are meant to be: sea urchins! Without the title, one may have interpreted them to be many other things. Furthermore, their progressing colors may represent the beach and ocean and also imply movement. This work is displayed and hangs on a wall, which I think is a very unique and clever presentation of it because it emphasizes certain aspects of it that otherwise wouldn’t have been such as the long hanging extension cord.
The Work in the World
This piece of artwork is a reminder of the ocean which is such a massive entity in our world and holds a special life of its own. It is almost endless and the sea urchins are just one example of a species that call the ocean their home. The beach and ocean are one of my favorite places to go and it gives me a sense of peace and happiness which I associated with this work of art. The ocean is also a body of water which is essential to human life, and it represents a daily need for every single person on this earth.
The Story it Tells
After analyzing and looking at Washburn’s piece more closely, I believe the story it is trying to tell is of the importance of preserving our environment and truly appreciating its value for humans. I found the bright extension cord to be emphasizing economic endeavors that have come to dominate our lives. It being wrapped around the chair so many times shows how it is so prevalent nowadays and almost has too tight of a grip on us. There are certainly other ways one may interpret this work, such as even the simple idea of spending a day by the ocean with all of one’s electronics brought with them (hence the extension cord) for charging.
