NO RUNNING IN THE GALLERY

Today as an elective we scared the Tate employees and went to see Martin Creeds Work No. 850 .
This is what Tate says about his work:
Work No. 850 centres on a simple idea: that a person will run as fast as they can every thirty seconds through the gallery. Each run is followed by an equivalent pause, like a musical rest, during which the grand Neoclassical gallery is empty.

This work celebrates physicality and the human spirit. Creed has instructed the runners to sprint as if their lives depended on it. Bringing together people from different backgrounds from all over London, Work No. 850 presents the beauty of human movement in its purest form, a recurring yet infinitely variable line drawn between two points.
(ttp://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/duveenscommission/about.shtm

This piece changed the gallery atmosphere dramatically. One of the aspects I found most interesting was the time after the runner, were people who had only just entered the space caught a glimpse of this running figure disappear round a corner. The buzz of silence afterwards. You could still feel the presents of the runner after they had gone. Everyone in the space was a part of the work and could dictate were they ran .The runners frequently had to change their path when someone got in the way.
It was also good to view the work from different places. From between pillars so you only catch a second of the power passing you by.
The sound to thudding feet hitting the floor echoed around the room so your aware of their existence even if you can see them.

In the discussions we had afterward someone commented on how it compared to other works by Creed. All his works are very precise and contemporary. This one is messier around the edges; more is left up to chance. I like the way He can’t have complete control over each runner. Even though they have been given the same instruction there are many factors that can differ depending on the person running.
Some are faster; some have to go a longer way around to avoid people. All these nameless people make the work what it is.