Dan Flavin

On the 4 March 2006 me and Grib hit the Northern Echo train on an excursion to the big smoke to see the Dan Flavin installation at the Hayward Gallery, South Bank.

I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in modern art.

Dan Flavin, now sadly departed, created wonderful works of art using only fluorescent lights.

In my view, he tried to turn our perceptions upside down by putting things in the wrong places: lights in the corners, on the floor, on the walls, anywhere but on the ceiling. He made art that didn't fit its space by making pieces bigger than the walls they were intended for and being lights they permeated more than the space that most art fits into. Thsi also helped to make the viewers aport of the exhibition by the reflected light.

He also shifted our perceptions by making art something which is difficult to look at which differs greatly from usual art works which are intended to be looked at.

I was also interested to think of creating sacred space in which no-one can stand or even touch with something as intangible as light. When a fluorescent light is turned on you no longer see the bulb, only the light. To make a fence from such an intangible thing makes me think of the intangible lines of personal space we create using tangible and intangible objects: the front door, the clipped comment that prevents further questioning.

As I said, just my view although not bad to feel and think so many things whilst probably ruining my eye sight and spending money to look at strip lighting :)