This morning as I was going through Google alerts, this headline caught my eye: “Susan Hiller, Conjurer of Paranormal Activity Through Conceptual Art, Has Died at 78.”
I have Google alerts set to try and find stories for Haunt Jaunts. My “paranormal” filter snagged this one.
I’d never heard of Susan Hiller. Her work doesn’t look familiar to me.
Then again, that’s not saying much. I appreciate art, but I don’t follow the players –or painters, sculptors, creators, etc. as the case may be.
The only contemporary artist I’m even slightly familiar with is Michael Cheval –and that’s only because of all our cruising. He’s a surrealist. (Perhaps my favorite genre. Not sure. I don’t really know them all. I just know I’m always drawn to this one.) One day I’d love to have one of Cheval’s prints –if I can ever decide on which one and have few spare hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to buy it.
So who is –was– Susan Hiller?
The first two paragraphs of the article gave me a good idea:
Susan Hiller, whose mysterious, discomfiting, and alluring works attempt to commune with supernatural beings and make visible invisible forces, has died at age 78, according to Lisson Gallery, which represents the artist….
“She was exacting, irreverent, mercurial, warmly mischievous, caring, and considerate,” Andreas Leventis, the gallery’s associate director, told ARTnews. “Expert on a diverse array of subjects, she wore her knowledge lightly and questioned everything.”
Intriguing. I think I would’ve liked this lady, this contemporary artist whose “…works attempt to commune with supernatural beings and make visible invisible forces.”
Making the invisible visible. What a concept. Also, what great wordsmithery to describe someone.
And the “…she wore her knowledge lightly and questioned everything.” I’d love to (a) have knowledge period, and (be) be thought of as someone who wore it lightly. Wow.
Intrigued, I spent a few moments this morning clicking around Susan Hiller’s website. I enjoyed seeing some of her creations on the Selected Works page.
My two favorites were the Spectral Works and Dream Mapping.
Dream Mapping, 1973 was an art event provocatively poised between an experiment (social or scientific) and a performance without an audience. Seven dreamers slept for three nights inside “fairy rings” in an English meadow marked by an abundance of circles formed naturally by Marasmius oreades mushrooms, a landscape feature that occurs in a number of British folk myths. The field became a site for dream experiences which were discussed and mapped the following morning. The dream maps of each participant were collected and copied onto transparent paper, sandwiched together, and traced to compile a composite group map for each night. A number of shared features were noted. Source: SusanHiller.org
I’ve only just become acquainted with you, Ms. Hiller, but it’s clear that those who knew you, loved you and your work. Bravo to you for pursuing your passion and sharing your talent with the world. That’s a life well spent right there. Blessings to you and those you’ve left behind.