Bain Project Interviews
With the Bain Project coming to a close this weekend I asked the project’s creator and organizer Daniel Kelly, as well as several of the artists involved, to answer a few questions about what inspired the project, what the creative process was like, and what they will be taking away from this unique, collaborative experience. Don’t miss your chance to experience this inspiring project this weekend, May 16-17, from 1-5pm at the E.B. Bain Waterworks in downtown Raleigh. For more details about the project and the artists involved visit the Bain Project website.
How did the idea for the Bain Project originate?
Daniel Kelly: The project grew out of my own work in the space. I am a painter and had gained access to the space from the owner after being introduced to it by a friend. I was painting in Bain for well over a year before I contacted Tracy Spencer about bringing other artists on board to create site specific work about the space for the public to view.
What attracted you to the space?
DK: There’s so much content there that it’s difficult to articulate it in a succinct answer. To me the physical poetics of the space was the first thing that struck me, scared me in fact (my first trip into the building was at night with a flashlight)! In addition the grand art deco architecture and it’s spectacular detailing is astonishing, especially when one considers that this was merely a public utilities building. There’s also a palpable sense of past human presence in the space, both of previous workers (pencil sharpeners, rotary-dial telephones, notes still pinned to the tackboards, etc) and more recent ‘temporary dwellers.’ I think there’s also an amazing wealth of beauty on a purely abstract level in the building’s peeling paint, sinuous curves of the pipes, cavernous spaces and so forth (you’ve really got to see it to understand).
How did you go about selecting the artists for this project?
DK: Tracy and I wanted to find as broad of a group of artists as possible to take on such a massive and complex space. We felt like the project would benefit from the perspective of what a video artist, for example, would bring to the table and how that would highlight aspects that a painter or a sculptor might see differently. We also required that the applicants visit the space to get a sense of how they saw the space.
You worked on the project over a period of 9 months – what was the creative process like?
DK: The first 5 or 6 months was nothing but site visits and discussion. We discussed the space, its history, key qualities, its future, how we conceived of the show happening, how much to clean it up, etc….in fact I think that the artists got a little stir crazy not being able to actually sink their teeth into anything for so long! We then began to play around with the space about 3 or 4 months ago. It was during this time that the artists began to really get a feel for the potential of the building and its materials.
What was the most challenging aspect of the process?
DK: For me working collaboratively was a major learning experience because I’m used to working on my own. It’s really tough to loosen up your grip on those ideas that you typically hold onto so tightly. To me working alone is defined by your commitment to those singular ideas and your pursuit of interpreting or incarnating them. So working collaboratively required a good deal of trying to be much more outwardly focused and really understand others’ ideas, while learning healthy compromise. But I have realized that this process allows for a great deal of spontaneity and the result is always rewarding.
What do you hope people will take away from the experience?
DK: As I alluded to earlier the space is full of inspiration, so one hope is that the public will experience at least some of what we got to enjoy over the past 9 months. Another hope is that the public will see that art can have many different faces and doesn’t have to happen on gallery walls, but can be integrated into the very fabric of the spaces and communities that we create for ourselves.
As an artist involved in the project, what will you be taking away from the experience?
DK: In addition to what I mentioned earlier about the lessons learned from working with this really talented group, I think that my own work will be affected. Prior to this project I leaned heavily toward the visual or aesthetic; almost purely. I knew what spaces I was drawn to, but not why. Through the seemingly endless discussions about what makes this building significant and how to engage it as an artist, I feel like I am starting to be able to understand what it is that compels me to paint what I do. The value of that is immeasurable.
What drew you to the Bain Project – why did you want to become involved?
Marty Baird: The collaborative aspect of the project was very exciting to me. I was already addressing water issues in my creative work. I believed that we could create installations and/or performances together that would be something more than what we might be able to create on our own.
Jen Coon: Collaborating and performing with friends and strangers; addressing notions of place, architecture, water tower; incorporating local history and public utility; the subject of water as essential to life and a cultural touchstone; the privilege of affordable, clean water in view of recent drought conditions.
Lee Moore: I actually have been using Raleigh history, photo images, and city planning as a focal point in my Spring residency at Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle School through CAM for 6 years now. I was excited about the space, architecturally and historically and the opportunity to collaborate with other artists and the community as a whole.
Lia Newman: I was initially drawn to the Bain Project because it’s an incredible experience for artists. It’s so rare to be given permission to create work in an abandoned space, let alone one as incredible as Bain. The fact that Daniel Kelly and Tracy Spencer were organizing the project was an important factor for me – I knew the project would be a success. I was familiar with many of the artists and was definitely impressed with the caliber of their work. I was also excited about the idea of working collaboratively (and maybe giving up something or adapting a bit) for the sake of group work.
Dana Raymond: It is a very rare occasion in Raleigh to have a site-specific opportunity like the Bain Project. This is the type of inspiration I dream of all the time. My sculpture focuses on installation with a primary component: kinetics. I get completely absorbed into industrial spaces and derelict equipment, even when the function is unknown or simply not obvious. I relish any opportunity to respond to architectural spaces from an artistic perspective.
What were your initial impressions when you first saw the space?
MB: I was stunned at the quality of light in the building and by the amazing colors that existed in the peeling paint and on the machinery.
JC: Cathedral. Cavern. Tunnel. Science fiction. Strata. Malfunction. Orphan.
LM: How nature and decay has artfully affected it yet how immense and resilient it is. The space is awe inspiring, visually and acoustically, like a cathedral. These are the Notre Dames of our area!
LN: I wanted to be the one person who went in to the space and didn’t care. I wanted to approach it without that sense of awe that everyone around me seemed to feel about the space. But, it just didn’t happen quite that way. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed and amazed by the space. It’s incredible…but in it’s current state it also feels like a very lonely, sad place.
DR: Since my imagination feeds directly on mechanical systems, I have to admit that my heart was racing like a kid in a candy store when I first explored the building. From the oversized equipment, like pumps and motors, to the intimate tanks for filtration, I was, without a doubt, in heaven. My brain was off immediately pursuing two parallel responses. The first was my artistic imagination. I began to interact with the defined niches I encountered, getting a feel for each contextual configuration. The second response was much more fundamental. What a beautiful building this is, and simply put, it is in fact already a sculpture waiting to be identified as such.
Tell us about what you created for the project – what was your inspiration behind it?
MB: We were all so involved in the discussions over several months with ideas coming and going from everyone, that it’s difficult to say what an individual artist might have created. Sometimes an artist had worked on a video and then we’d all talk about where that might be shown. Sometimes, we individually would take the lead on the execution of a component in a certain space. For example, Sarah Powers and I really wanted to do something with the stone balls that had initially been used in Bain’s filtration tanks. I loved the pink rooms on the second floor and the way the afternoon light changed them. We had all talked about ‘filling the spaces’, flooding spaces with light, with sound…. So we began to fill the pink rooms with the balls…everybody pitched in, offered ideas about text. Another example is the Caustic Room…again the idea of flooding a room with light, colored light that was related to the color codes used in water treatment facilities. I took the lead on discovering how we could do that, how we could harness the sunshine, and several artist helped install the color. Sarah suggested an audio component. Five us recorded the list of colors in the code. Dana speculated on whether or not we could get a color change in the paint chips from the light. What happens when the afternoon sun come around and moves through that room, changing the paint chips arranged on the floor, and then spilling out the room is just magical.
JC: After surveying religious rituals that center on water, I proposed a series of “reflecting stations” that would allude to associated structures (temples, baths) and reference purification on several levels. Ultimately these ideas would be embodied in contrasting ways by the Bain drinking fountain/”oasis” and the Japanese ceremony/teahut
This process took place slowly (glacially), and was guided by many conversations and contributions from others in and outside of the Project. I discovered that between “oasis” and “teahut” there resides a rich cultural intersection that spans the subjects of mountain retreat, ancient ruin, early Buddhism, industrialization, commerce, survival, renewal, pilgrimage … all wonderfully germane to the Bain site.
I’d also like to say that I learned so much from other artists who contributed to my work, and with whom I collaborated in performance, sound, and sculpture/installation – especially Stacey Kirby. Here is one list among many of key words that describe our collective experience at Bain:
artifact, community, blend, archi-texture, temporary dweller, excessive detail, growth, redevelopment, replacement, stories, struggle, live entity, resonance, natural/introduced,
natural/man-made, dichotomy, transformation, time machine, evidence.
LM: The project itself is completely collaborative in its own implementation. The meetings and exchanges artists shared were apart of the art. I actually got pregnant the month of acceptance and became more and more limited as to what I could physically do and also did not want to be in the space very much because of lead paint exposure and I was on bed rest during some of the time. I began collecting an audio library of meetings, sounds, water treatment information and processes, performances in the space, nature, rain, my dishwasher, poetry and other related audio clips. I am impressed by the wildlife in and around the Bain and also included some bird recordings and bird nests with eggs the color samples of the interiors.
In the end I put them together one segment as pure archives and others as audio suites for certain areas of the building and created transfers with Jen Coon and Stacey Kirby for a room called the Resonance Room where people can look but also respond.
I also gave birth April 21st to what we call the Bain baby.
LN: We worked collaboratively although individuals often spear-headed a particular project or idea. Others joined in to different projects depending on their level of interest. One work I created was a tree that appears to be growing out of a sink in the cleaning or supply closet. It’s a tiny room/space and I think I was drawn to it because the building overwhelms me so much. It was a small space I could tackle. The project developed out of many conversations and my own interest in the organic matter we found invading since the abandonment of the building more than twenty years ago. This piece is much more in-line with my typical work, although I did not construct anything in my studio space. The tree was made from fallen limbs picked up around the property. I then mended these limbs from different trees back together into what appears to be a sort of menacing tree structure. It “grows” from the sink – a source of water – but the tree is also not alive, obviously. So there is a sense of ambiguity, similar to the state of Bain today.
The second work I completed couldn’t be more different than the tree piece – or more different than my typical work. After much conversation and observation of the building, I created an apartment in the second floor bathroom. This work is meant to reference both what Bain may become one day (condos perhaps) as well as what it has been/is today (a place for many temporary dwellers including former Bain workers, homeless individuals, Homeland Security, snakes, birds, plant life, and even the artists working on this project).
DR: From the beginning, I wanted to do a collaborative work. This was definitely an opportunity that begged, if only from the scale of what the building had to offer, for artists to join forces conceptually and physically. If we had the whole building, how could we use as much of it as possible while importing the least amount of material? For me, the answer was a performance. What that performance might be remained a mystery, until the day I climbed down into one of the filtration tanks and rotated the sprayer nozzle I found in that first of thirteen tanks. Bringing back the sound of industrial rhythms, silenced by 22 years of abandonment, became my inspiration.
You worked on the project over a period of 9 months – what was the creative process like?
MB: In the beginning we were wide open with our fantasies of what we could do in the space. We tried to not restrict our ideas in any way. We also wanted the work to be related to the building’s history, its current state, and its possible future. However, we did not necessarily want to be didactic or literal in how we addressed those concepts in the actual work. Initially we had explored the building individually, then we began to explore it together and speculate on what we could create in different spaces…
JC: Alternately unbearable, frustrating, magical and elating. Imagine the complexity of trying to coordinate 12+ people with busy lives. Logistic challenges, ideological differences, minimal funds … meeting at each other’s homes, studios, and not having access to the building … phone calls, tete-a-tetes, e-mail blizzards, bad dreams, endless ‘rabbitholes’ to explore … but in the end I think we managed to plant our feet in the soil we had been arduously tilling, often in the cold and dark (literally and figuratively), and make cohesive work in a spirit of cooperation. Perhaps because of the intense gestation period and all the frustrations endured, we came to speak more honestly with each other and to help each other make decisions up to the last minute. I don’t quite feel that it’s over!
LM: Interesting to await consensus of all members and then by January we knew we must implement ideas. The dichotomy of talking about ideas and actually physically doing things was interesting. As time progressed I became more limited and became a bit of a spectator. It was quite a gestation process.
LN: It was a great process to work with so many smart, talented artists! In the beginning, people were definitely polite but I think we were able to get past that and really get to the heart of some larger concepts/ideas. We spent most of the past nine months in dialogue with each other and the building — talking, exchanging emails, drawing, writing, photographing, and making site visits to Bain. Much of the actual “making” of the work couldn’t take place until the last few weeks honestly, just due to the nature of the space. I think by the time we actually got to that point, it was able to come together so well because of the time spent previously nurturing these ideas.
DR: I knew half the artists when we started the project. The other half was virgin territory. We started from square one: introductions, visits to Bain, and much discussion to arrange our approaches. Speaking from my perspective, this was an opportunity for local artists to get out of the studio mode and test creative visions. I, for one, live for this kind of challenge. We sincerely tried to develop this project as a collaborative effort. At a weak, and perhaps frustrating moment, we abandoned the collaboration idea to pursue individual visions. Once these visions took shape, we were able to eventually come back together and work as groups to share in the experiences. Without planning the process, we were able to find our way back together as a much more natural event.
What was the most challenging aspect of the process?
MB: One challenging part of the process was working there in the winter without heat, electricity, or water. Another challenging part was distilling some of our ideas enough that we could imagine them in a certain space and we could actually make them visible as a performance, an installation, as an interactive piece.
JC: There were so many: getting into a comfort zone with the building; not knowing how our ideas would actually translate until pretty late in the game; and in turn, making fast adjustments to plans while staying true to our intention and ethic.
LM: Personally, for me it was being physically limited during the entire process and being on the periphery but happy to still be included.
LN: I think a huge challenge was the fact that much of the work had to be made in the last few weeks. It was definitely a unique process. I didn’t make anything in my studio, as I normally would. It was important to us that work was created on site, primarily using materials indigenous to the building and the land. When objects were brought in, it was for contrast/specific purposes. For most of us, it was a different approach and process but I think the challenge of this was a huge part of why I wanted to be a part of this project.
In addition, I think the overwhelming nature of the space was a huge challenge. How do you highlight what you want people to see – things it took us three months to notice? What will they experience in twenty minutes, an hour, three hours? Will viewers even be interested in the things we were interested in?
DR: Probably the most challenging aspect of our process was attempting to agree on a single, unified concept that would entertain individual visions as well as the numerous creative approaches and media expertise. We definitely worked our way through it and eventually got over it.
What do you hope people will take away from the experience?
MB: I hope people will experience the space in unexpected ways. I hope people will have a sense of discovery and thoughtfulness.
JC: I hope people will feel sensitized to the elusive facets and layers (poetry) of this and other buildings. I hope they will see Bain in context(s) — as valuable history, a vision realized … but also as transitory and dispossessed; forsaken. And of course, I hope visitors will be opened to the boundlessness of art, and to other innovative activity in Raleigh!
LM: Appreciation of how architecture can connect us to people and places and how art can communicate a dialogue in the community. Hopefully, this will lead to more similar events and collaborations and preservation of Raleigh’s little remaining historical architecture. I also appreciate the connection to all of the artists involved in this project and hope to stay connected in the future.
LN: This is such a difficult question because there are so many possible answers for this. We spent a long time pondering what the building was, what it is now, what it could be. I guess I want people to leave thinking about this as well. The building itself, without the hand of the artist, without any manipulation whatsoever, is important in itself. We hoped to add some elements, some surprises even, that will just help people consider/re-consider the building.
DR: I can only hope that some of them enjoyed the results of our process and they had some interesting thoughts that they would not have experienced without the Bain Project. Beyond that, I do not want to teach or manipulate the audience in any way. They can do that quite well enough on their own.
As an artist involved in the project, what will you be taking away from the experience?
MB: A full, rich, experience of getting to know these creative peers better and a new openness in my thinking.
JC: A concrete, intimate understanding of how a structure affects what transpires there, and determines human response (including memory). A better idea of what kind of work collaboration is – the pitfalls and advantages – and therefore an awareness of why I also like to work solo. I am also taking away new and strengthened friendships; inspiration for experimental performance; faith in positive thinking; bruises, cuts, sore muscles and hopefully not something more serious in my lungs!
LM: Learning to work with others, appreciation of being apart of a grand project, education about Raleigh’s history and future in regards to water. I also am grateful to Daniel Kelly and Tracy Spencer for making this possible.
LN: New friends, new processes and work methods, new ideas. I think we’ll have to reunite. I’m not sure what we’ll do when we don’t have to meet with each other so frequently and think about Bain all the time!
DR: I know that I personally got what I wanted out of this project. I birthed a vision, and with the help of the group, I developed it and brought it to a public viewing as a conceptual happening. I see this process as kindling for future projects. I also got to know and work with some very sincere humans who care at least as much about our planet and humanity as they do about their artwork. This I had not expected. I found this to be the warmest aspect of our time together.
This project has spawned so many new ideas. It will be intriguing to see which ones rise to the surface immediately, and which ones remain suspended in anticipation of eventual exploration.
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Bain Project Artists:
Marty Baird, Luke Buchanan, Jen Coon, Tim Kiernan, Stacey Kirby, Lee Moore, Lia Newman, David Nicolay, Sarah Powers, & Dana Raymond
Documentation Team:
Critter, KC Ramsay, & Natasha Johnson
this instantly reminds me of one of Joseph Cornell’s boxes, must be the blue, porcelain, and dead branches– even though different, it’s really cool!!!!