We recently visited MOMA PS1 to view artworks from different artists. One piece that stood out to me the most was created by Samara Golden. It is an instillation piece named The Flat Side of the Knife. This is the first instillation piece I have ever seen up close and personally. Right before the instillation is a description which mentioned how the artists tries to explore the sixth dimension where everything exists and nothing is impossible. A gateway to locked information we haven't tuned into so we aren't aware of. Samara Golden is quoted saying , '' I hope my work can be like a door that opens to there times or moods''. I think she wants her work to be used as a trigger to discover new insight or come to realizations of universal and conscious truth.
At soon as I stopped reading and focused my attention on the instillation I was blown away. It is amazing work, and it seemed very well thought out. It seems like 3 floors in which the artists fills up with beds, stairway ways, sofas , lamps , tables and more objects from everyday items found around a house. It is not any ordinary instillation though. The unique thing about it is how the pieces are glued to the ceiling, making it seem as the wall is upside down. The bottom floor is then made up of strictly mirrors instead of tiles or carpet. By doing this the artist Samara Golden creates the illusion that what is on the ceiling is on the floor because it is being reflected.
It almost gives the viewer the sense that the room never ends and everything is connected in one way or another. I think the artist wants the viewer to step away from regular methods of thinking and start seeing reality in a new light with new possibilities and her pieces as examples of what could be or what is happening but not visual to the eye. I feel the artist statement was very accurate as I can sense the feeling of trying to awaken our conscious spirits. Making us realize theres more to life than logic, almost hinting at magic and the supernatural.
I think that might be why it is named flat side of the knife. We don't really use the flat side of the knife just like we don't really use our 3rd eyes or conscious minds. We find things we cannot see or use as useless and discredit it. This helps society focus more on spirituality and understanding what is still not clear. Helping us discover and evolve.
Samara Golden's artwork is very creative because to think of making a floor out of glass to mirror the top which is designed purposely to be viewed in its opposite is genius. She used the stairs to almost give the vibe that the space was infinite and many doors to go in and out of. The mirrors gave a sense of repetition as it reflected objects already seen, making space feel like it was visual transfer from one dimension to another. The video in the instillation played a visual of waves on the wall with ocean sounds. Oceans represent deepness which her piece is really deep and is made to be in order to discover what has not yet been found. It helps put dimensions into perspective and almost subconsciously triggers you to think.
I am grateful to have viewed this piece personally on many levels. Samara Golden's : The Flat Side of the Knife helps me see the world as unlimited. It unmasks the physical realm and points out how our eyes can deceive us because we cannot grasp what lies beyond our dimensions. It helps open up our minds and put us in a curious and optimistic mindset.
