Our View

Lines and letters intersecting, twisting, and coming together in a collaboration between art and poetry; artist and viewers; mother and child. 

 We spent the afternoon at The Hirschhorn circumnavigating Linn Meyer's striking work, "Our View From Here".
Ever since watching the time lapse video of how Meyer's installed the piece of the course of many weeks, I had been itching to see it up close, but I had no idea that it would have such a big impact on both of us. As if we were being pulled out to sea on a rip tide, we were immediately sucked into its alluring currents and caught up in a surreal scenery composed of lively black lines.  

On impulse, when leaving the house earlier in the day, I had tossed two post-it note pads into my backpack along with sketchbooks and oranges. Halfway through the circular gallery space, I dug the tiny yellow pads out and we each continued to work our way through the piece with the added task of jotting down words that came to mind. We eventually met back at the beginning of the circle, claimed two comfy black chairs and started to collaborate on a poem. 

Moving sticky notes around on blank sketch books, but eventually transitioning to the floor so we could really play with them. Selecting the ones we both loved the most, setting aside those that might or might not work, shifting combinations until it sounded right to both of us. I loved how different our words were and yet, how beautifully they worked together to form a satisfying little nugget of our experience. It is essentially our very own "view from here". 

Our View

Undulating ripples
Peacock vortex
Tangled rainbow whorl

Delicate
To a point

Swirling, swooping, cascading, pulsing
Lines, lines, lines, lines





by Camille (age 10) and Lucia (age 43)
Inspired by Linn Meyer's "Our View From Here"
The Hirschhorn, October 7, 2016