WHITNEY

Tim Hawkinson (b. 1960)
Überorgan, 2000

Woven polyethylene balloons, nylon, cardboard tubing, mechanical components, and air
Andrea Nasher Collection

Tim Hawkinson's fantastic constructions suggest the profound strangeness of life, matter, and time. He interweaves images of bodies and machines at scales that vary from the monumental to the nearly microscopic, conjuring a world that teeters on the cusp of the real and unreal. Through May 29, 2005, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents the first major museum survey of an artist increasingly recognized as one of the most original sculptors working in America today.

The artist describes *Überorgan*:

Several bus-size biomorphic balloons, each with its horn tuned to a different note in an octave, make up a walk-in self-playing organ. A 200-foot-long scroll of dots and dashes encodes a musical score of old hymns, pop classics, and improvisational ditties. This score is deciphered by the organ's brain—a bank of light-sensitive switches—and then reinterpreted by a series of switches and relays that translate the original patterns into nonrepeating variations of the score.

The exhibition *Tim Hawkinson* is on view February 11-May 29, 2005.

Whitney Museum of American Art
945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street

Wednesday–Thursday 11 am–6 pm

Friday 1–9 pm

Saturday–Sunday 11 am–6 pm

Monday–Tuesday Closed

This exhibition was organized by the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Major support for this exhibition was provided by Peter Norton and the Peter Norton Family Foundation. Additional support was provided by Tim Nye and the MAT Charitable Foundation. Significant funding was provided by the National Committee of the Whitney Museum of American Art.