Untitled (March 5th) #2
Item
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Title
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Untitled (March 5th) #2
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Rights
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The Felix Gonzalez-Torres Foundation, The Cleveland Museum of Art, Fair Use.
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Creator
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Felix Gonzalez-Torres (1957-1996)
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Date
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1991
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Description
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Typical of Felix Gonzalez-Torres's installations, this piece is ever-changing while simultaneously retaining its form. Hanging from about ten feet, two lightbulbs and their white cords entangle with each other, plugged into an outlet directly below them. Their cords are not secured in straight lines or kept from touching the ground; rather, they dangle and fall naturally. While Gonzalez-Torres has traditionally strayed from publicly attributing meaning to his works, this piece and its unofficial title reference March 5, 1991, when Gonzalez-Torres's partner, Ross Laycock, died from AIDS-related complications. First exhibited in the same month, Gonzalez-Torres requested that the bulbs remain lit until they gradually faded, one dying before the other. Any museum hosting the installation is asked to replace the bulbs after they fully fade, allowing new audiences to experience the fading. Gonzalez-Torres passed from AIDS five years later, further cementing the fading metaphor he had established prior.
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Format
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Light bulbs, porcelain light sockets, and extension cords. 113 in tall.
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Publisher
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The Cleveland Museum of Art. 3.2017
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Contributor
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Max Schrader
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Subject
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Felix Gonzalez-Torres; Gonzalez-Torres; Gonzalez; Torres; AIDS; light; light bulbs; bulbs; installation; death; Ross Laycock
Untitled (March 5th) #2