Funky Bones
Encyclopedia
Funky Bones is a public artwork by Atelier Van Liehout, a Dutch
artist collective led by Joep van Lieshout, located in the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park
, which is on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
in Indianapolis
, Indiana
, United States
. The artwork, primarily made from fiberglass
, consists of twenty-two white and black bone-shaped benches.
The skeleton is positioned with its arms spread out horizontally while the legs point straight down. The individual benches range in both length and width, but all are approximately 26’’ in height. The artwork was fabricated in Atelier Van Lieshout's studio in Rotterdam
and shipped to the Indianapolis Museum of Art where it was installed by the design and installation crew.
In addition to resonating with the location's history, Funky Bones also has the functional purpose of providing an ideal spot for visitors to sit, picnic, lounge, or climb. Joep van Lieshout observed visitors sitting on rocks during visits to the site, and decided to provide them with more comfortable seating arrangements in order to facilitate interaction, both among viewers as well as between viewer and art. This degree of interactivity, and even fun, makes Funky Bones extremely child-friendly.
in Nice, France (1987). Joep van Lieshout formed the AVL studio group in 1995 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the company continues to design and fabricate their widely-exhibited works. Atelier Van Lieshout has attained international recognition for objects-based projects that balance on the boundary between art, architecture and design. Recurring themes in the work of AVL include self-sufficiency, power, politics, and the more classical themes of life and death. The name Atelier Van Lieshout emphasizes the fact that, although Joep van Lieshout founded and leads the collective, the work produced stems from the creative impulses of the entire team.
For Funky Bones, AVL's most relevant recurring themes are domestication, politics, complex functioning systems, and the re-contextualization of familiar, domestic objects. The Atelier van Lieshout claims to make no distinction between “real artworks” and “just building something for someone.” The studio group focuses on creating artworks whose design principles challenge conventional ideas of utility and functionality by reinventing how the viewer perceives or approaches an object and the environment in which it is placed. This is achieved by the implementation of non-traditional materials and color palettes, odd or unusual subject matter, and through the strategic positioning or locale of the artwork. Funky Bones is impossible to see in its entirety except at a distance, preferably from above. Moving close enough to actually interact with it produces an entirely different perspective.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
artist collective led by Joep van Lieshout, located in the 100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park
100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park
100 Acres: The Virginia B. Fairbanks Art and Nature Park is a public park located behind the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The park opened in 2010, showing large site specific installation art works by Alfredo Jaar, Andrea Zittel, Atelier Van Lieshout, Kendall...
, which is on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The Indianapolis Museum of Art is an encyclopedic art museum located in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. The museum, which underwent a $74 million expansion in 2005, is located on a campus on the near northwest area outside downtown Indianapolis, northwest of Crown Hill Cemetery.The...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The artwork, primarily made from fiberglass
Fiberglass
Glass fiber is a material consisting of numerous extremely fine fibers of glass.Glassmakers throughout history have experimented with glass fibers, but mass manufacture of glass fiber was only made possible with the invention of finer machine tooling...
, consists of twenty-two white and black bone-shaped benches.
Description
Funky Bones is situated in the Meadow region just south of the lake at 100 Acres. It is a site-specific artwork consisting of twenty-two white bone-shaped benches inscribed with black drawings of bones that together form a large stylized human skeleton. The artwork was constructed primarily from fiberglass, plywood, and concrete. Each bench is a fiberglass shell filled with a lightweight foam material. The fiberglass surface has been impregnated with pigment, carved, and coated in polyester resin. Plywood was used only during the detailing process of the black bone segments and is not visible in the completed artwork. The concrete component for this artwork is not visible but rather serves as a structural aid, anchoring and securing the individual benches into the ground. A standard ready-mix concrete was used for this application.The skeleton is positioned with its arms spread out horizontally while the legs point straight down. The individual benches range in both length and width, but all are approximately 26’’ in height. The artwork was fabricated in Atelier Van Lieshout's studio in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
and shipped to the Indianapolis Museum of Art where it was installed by the design and installation crew.
Historical information
Funky Bones arose from many disparate interests of Joep van Lieshout, the founder and head designer of AVL. These include human anatomy and the history of the site. Concerning the original concept and inspiration behind Funky Bones, Joep van Lieshout stated:In addition to resonating with the location's history, Funky Bones also has the functional purpose of providing an ideal spot for visitors to sit, picnic, lounge, or climb. Joep van Lieshout observed visitors sitting on rocks during visits to the site, and decided to provide them with more comfortable seating arrangements in order to facilitate interaction, both among viewers as well as between viewer and art. This degree of interactivity, and even fun, makes Funky Bones extremely child-friendly.
Artist
Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL) is a multidisciplinary company that operates internationally in the field of contemporary art, design, and architecture. Joep van Lieshout (b. 1963), founder of AVL, is a Dutch artist born in Ravenstein, The Netherlands. He received his formal education and training from the Academy of Modern Art in Rotterdam (1980–1985), Ateliers ‘63 in Haarlem (1985-1987), and from the Villa ArsonVilla Arson
The Villa Arson, also referred to as the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts à la Villa Arson , is a French art museum, elite school and research institution for contemporary art, located in Nice, France...
in Nice, France (1987). Joep van Lieshout formed the AVL studio group in 1995 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, where the company continues to design and fabricate their widely-exhibited works. Atelier Van Lieshout has attained international recognition for objects-based projects that balance on the boundary between art, architecture and design. Recurring themes in the work of AVL include self-sufficiency, power, politics, and the more classical themes of life and death. The name Atelier Van Lieshout emphasizes the fact that, although Joep van Lieshout founded and leads the collective, the work produced stems from the creative impulses of the entire team.
For Funky Bones, AVL's most relevant recurring themes are domestication, politics, complex functioning systems, and the re-contextualization of familiar, domestic objects. The Atelier van Lieshout claims to make no distinction between “real artworks” and “just building something for someone.” The studio group focuses on creating artworks whose design principles challenge conventional ideas of utility and functionality by reinventing how the viewer perceives or approaches an object and the environment in which it is placed. This is achieved by the implementation of non-traditional materials and color palettes, odd or unusual subject matter, and through the strategic positioning or locale of the artwork. Funky Bones is impossible to see in its entirety except at a distance, preferably from above. Moving close enough to actually interact with it produces an entirely different perspective.