Peter Manion: Universal Turf

PETER MANION:

UNIVERSAL TURF

I N R E V I E W

WORLD CHESS HALL OF FAME

The opening reception of Peter Manion’s Universal Turf at the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHoF) on an unseasonably warm evening in October brought in the largest number of guests yet to an opening at the museum.

(image courtesy of the World Chess Hall of Fame)

Universal Turf is a site specific sculptural installation housed in the first floor gallery of the three story WCHoF building and will be on exhibit through March 24th.

Manion’s plaster-coated blankets of dyed felt are meant to be touched by museum visitors. They can be folded in on themselves, stepped on, used and mused into whatever shape they seem to call for.

This premise-that you can touch the artworks-provides a sensual metaphor for a message about chess. Manion wants us to try what is normally off limits. He argues, through his artworks, that chess does not have to be overwhelming and is not limited to grandmasters.

Universal Turf is intended to help us let go of our intimidation of the game. Simply thinking about the strategies involved in a game of chess will cause our brains to grow and change. Manion’s interactive exhibit pushes visitors to allow themselves to let go of old behavioral patterns and perceived limitations. The experience of engaging with the exhibit pushes visitors to let go, focus, observe, think and consider options and possibilities, much like the way one learns to play the infinite game of chess. By anticipating and opening oneselves to different outcomes, one has the potential to get past fear.

The beauty of Universal Turf and its relationship to chess might at first seem obscure, but Manion finds a direct connection between the leap of faith required to make and mold and change the physical form of the art object and to make that first move in a game of chess. He reflects on the process of completing this project - his abandonment of tradition, eschewing overthinking and overanalyzing - as a parallel act to that of completing a chess game without feeling the need to rely on well-worn strategies.

At the center of the exhibit, sit the Elementals: a cluster of brightly colored, abstractly formed sculptures set on pedestals of varying heights.

These could be interpreted as pawns within the game of chess. Like the larger artworks, these sculptures are built from materials Manion used when he was working in construction. The shapes presented seem static and set, but are, by design, movable and can be easily reshaped or even fall at any given moment, much like the way a game of chess can change utterly with a single move.

Protector (Blue), C (Yellow), and Cut and Paste the Truth (Pink) represent the bishop, the queen and the king on the chess board. These stunning sculptures appear dense, heavy and solid and yet equally fragile and complicated. The sculptures seem to be scarcely intact as they lean on Manion’s old oriented strand boards (OSB) and drape on the gallery floor. They are a manifestation of Manion’s delight in the simplicity of creating art objects from materials that are surprisingly strong, like the power pieces on the chessboard.

To complete this project, Manion left behind his traditional work methods and eliminated the use of brushes and paint. He worked to let go of his ego and get out of the way of what the material wanted to do, what the work wanted to be. The effect is especially evident in his large-scale artwork Universal Truth. Wildly brilliant India dye on textured pieces of plaster and felt cover the walls and invite viewers to run their hands across the art.

The vibrancy of Universal Truth contrasts with the all-white plaster work Make Your Move. End of Something, another stand alone plaster work, once molded as a sculpture, sprayed with multicolored India dye and then flattened. It is tacked to the wall, visually tying the entire exhibit together.

The exhibition title, Universal Turf, is a variation on the notion of Universal Truth. Manion stipulates, “There is no actual universal truth. We all have our own version of the truth. So we focused on universal and then focused on turf, because turf is organic. Turf is tangible. And we wanted this [exhibit] to be approachable and tangible for people.”

The worlds of art and chess are often presumed to be unapproachable and intangible. Abstract art often leaves viewers with more questions than answers. Viewers wonder, “What are the rules? Are there any rules?” Chess, a game rich in tradition with a clear beginning and end, has a thick list of rules. But it too is a creative endeavor. Manion gets at the cognitive treat found in both.

-Erin McGrath Rieke

www.worldchesshof.org

IN REVIEW WINTER 2018/19 ALLTHEARTSTL.COM