Mike Rathbun Sculpture

The Situation He Found Himself In

When he burst into flames, there was, to the exclusion of all else, astonishment. Astonishment, at this state, the condition, that had not been–and then certainly and completely was. Then exhilaration, a euphoria that such a thing could be. These curious initial biochemical reactions were in part a response to the instantaneous depletion of oxygen, immediately surrounding him, by the fire, and the flood of endorphins released ahead of the coming pain, which, when the brain caught up would be excruciating, right out on the edge of unendurable.

But this was nothing like that, the situation he found himself … Read the rest

Mike Rathbun: N45°23.871′ W122°38.864′, The Marylhurst installation

Mike Rathbun: N45°23.871′ W122°38.864′

Since 1995, Mike Rathbun has titled 11 constructions and installations by their geographic coordinates.

The Marylhurst installation makes it an even dozen.

Often his installations employ skeletal constructions of boats suspended above or lying alongside wave-like wood structures. These ambitious projects have been sponsored by sculpture parks, contemporary art institutes and university galleries, including Franconia Sculpture Park and the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minnesota; Socrates Sculpture Park in Long Island City, New York; and Claremont Graduate University and California State University in San Bernardino.

In a recent conversation, Rathbun mentioned his interest in The Log … Read the rest