You can't have silence on the radio; people will turn away from the station. Robert Barry More Quotes by Robert Barry More Quotes From Robert Barry So it sort of dawned on me that you have to build into your work the fact that it's going to be shown in different kinds of places and different kinds of light. And the fact that the surroundings and where you're going to be shown is always changing, so that should really not affect the meaning of the work. It should be part of what the work is about. Robert Barry differentlightfacts Heidegger wrote a book called Was Ist Das Ding - What Is a Thing? which was kind of interesting and influential to me, as a matter of fact. It's a small paperback, which I read. It's about the nature of thingness; what is it? It's a very penetrating analysis of that, and I think a rather influential book. I know other artists who have read it and come up with it. Robert Barry artistbookthinking The notion of a thing, materiality, was something that I think was something very in peoples' minds when they were dealing with earth and metal and different kinds of metals and the interaction of different sorts of material. Robert Barry differentmindthinking There's a kind of poetic aspect to inert gas. And remember, first of all, they were completely unknown a hundred years earlier. We just didn't know about them. And then when they were discovered in the atmosphere, the idea that this is a material that would breathe in and exhale and becomes part of us for a while made it even more intriguing. The names, the Greek names, are interesting, too - if you translate neon, xenon and so forth are kind of interesting. Robert Barry xenonnamesyears I was a guest at CalArts. John Baldessari invited me out a few times. I've been there. I've been in Pasadena, taught out at Boulder, University of Colorado. And I've taught in Europe. I've lectured and taught. I've taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Nigne [sp]. I was there for a couple of weeks, I was there. I've taught all over - in Switzerland, Germany. Robert Barry coupleeuropeart A word refers to something in the real world and so, in a way, does a photo. It's not the thing itself, but it's a kind of suggestion of where you might look for that thing. Robert Barry realmightway The idea of words and photos was something that appealed to me. Robert Barry ideas I always took photographs. I photographed a lot of trees, by the way, which is another image I used often in my work, the tree image. Robert Barry photographtreeway If I'm reading something and a word pops up, or I just catch it, I try to mark it off and then, later, write it down on a piece of paper and add it to my list. Robert Barry readingwritingtrying And after a while, you just pare things down more and more and more, until you get to certain basic things which just - basic ideas which just seem to work for you over and over again. Robert Barry basic-thingscertainideas Words are objects of a color and a size and a form and a shape. Robert Barry sizeshapescolor I'm used to being the background. I'm used to having work that only lasts for a little while. I'm used to being - working in the real world, where real things are. Robert Barry reallittlesworld I consider drawings finished works of art, first of all. However, the ideas can be something that can be developed into something larger. I don't make so many drawings anymore since I'm working with language. I used to make more when I worked with sculptural things, especially the wire pieces. Robert Barry drawingideasart I do make some drawings for wall pieces. I do work out some ideas for large-scale wall pieces where I have to organize words or get proportions right. I do keep them in my files. Not an exhibit or a show; just as part of my records, my archives. Robert Barry walldrawingideas The drawings that I show - the drawings that I present to people are finished works in themselves. They're meant to be thought of that way and not necessarily lead to larger pieces or anything like that. And that's the way I work now. Robert Barry drawingpiecespeople I do like certain kinds of frames for work. That's important. Robert Barry certainimportantkind I always had a fairly decent income, coming in just from the art. Robert Barry decentincomeart You know, there are some people who just don't - that cannot get comfortable behind the wheel of a car and always sort of think they're going to kill somebody. Robert Barry carpeoplethinking The Vogels were quite strict in what they acquired. They never acquired a projection. They never acquired a sound piece. They were never big on photos that much, unless it was photos documenting something. They had some limitations into what they bought. Robert Barry piecesbigssound I had always taken photos - always, always taken photos, made movies. Robert Barry takenmade
