Fallen Star Provides New Perspective

Fallen Star- Suh

Everyone has felt out of place and a little disjointed with one's present location. That feeling of alienation and changing perspective is captured in Do Ho Suh’s odd house called “Fallen Star.” It is the eighteenth commissioned sculpture for UCSD's Stuart Collection, in La Jolla. This off-kilter house is an expression of Suh’s own feeling of cultural displacement.  He left Korea in 1991, leading him to explore the idea of ‘home’ and memory.

Upon leaving the doors on the seventh floor of Jacobs Hall, one is immediately transported to a new environment. A path leads through a small, perfectly manicured, garden and up to a blue house that seems to be falling off the corner of the green balcony. This ‘home’ not only sits off the side of Jacobs Hall, the interior itself is slanted. The floor, ceiling, and furniture all sit at odd angles. Looking around the space, it is hard to figure out what is plumb and what is not. There is no real guideline to base these judgments on. The only object in the room that hangs properly is the chandelier, and even so it looks crooked as well. One’s balance is completely thrown off and a sense of vertigo is always hovering in the back of the viewers mind.  The space is a unique experience that has a lingering affect.

“Fallen Star” is a spectacular place to visit. With so many visitors to La Jolla, everyone can find a connection to Suh’s meaning. After experiencing “Fallen Star,” stop by Thumbprint Gallery, on Kline Street in La Jolla, to see contemporary and lowbrow art by local artists. The gallery is open 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

Source:

http://stuartcollection.ucsd.edu/artists/suh.shtml