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Alastair Noble, assistant professor of art, has installed a second site-specific sculpture based on the poem “Zang Tumb Tumb” by Italian futurist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Noble’s piece, Zang Tumb Tumb II, is at the Joseph Gross Gallery at the University of Arizona.
Noble will present a brown bag lecture on the installation of Zang Tumb Tumb II today at Williams Center for the Arts room 108. It is the sequel to Zang Tumb Tumb, a site-specific work designed for the Grossman Gallery that used the building’s architectural features, particularly a pit and the concrete column in the rear.
Trustee Scholarand civil engineering major Jessica Haase ’07 (Glenn Rock, Pa.) helped Noble prepare the sculpture in the Williams Visual Arts Building before it was sent to Arizona for construction during his residency at the university in late August through early September.
The pair collaborated through Lafayette’s distinctive EXCEL Scholars program, in which students conduct research with faculty while earning a stipend. The program has helped to make Lafayette a national leader in undergraduate research. Many of the more than 160 students who participate each year share their work through articles in academic journals and/or conference presentations.
“He had an idea of what he wanted his installation to be and it was my job to help him figure out how we could actually make it, what materials we could use, and how the pieces would fit together,” says Haase.
Noble’s 20-by-30-foot installation comprised of minimalist sculptures made of plastic, Japanese paper, and lights materializes the words on Marinetti’s page. The poem that inspires his works was written in response to World War I using words like “freedom” and phonetics like “tuuumb.” They are also placed on the page to form shapes such as the wings of an airplane. Zang Tumb Tumb II uses Marinetti’s literal methodology to visually express the consequences and after-effects of war. Initially, the viewer approaches it from above and it appears to be an aerial view of a lost city. Then the viewer walks around it on the highly polished floor, which heightens the reflection effect. The pieces lay on a reed matting that crunches when stepped on, which Noble says acknowledges one’s presence.
“Each block represents a word that represents an action of war, rockets, planes, etc. But I’m transposing that so that you meditate. It is not violent, [rather it is] describing the aftermath,” he explains.
Haase enjoyed working on this project with Noble and notes how it will benefit her in the future.
“He treated me as an equal and asked me what I thought along the way. I felt like I was really contributing to his piece,” she says. “It was interesting how much math and calculations I used for making artwork and although it was frustrating at times, it was neat to see how everything came together when we actually started building it.
“I know that I want to work alongside an architect to create buildings and bridges and other structures, so this opportunity gave me some experience working with a person who is more concerned with the aesthetic aspect of the work rather than the mechanics behind it.”
Haase is continuing her EXCEL work this semester with Noble, helping him prepare future installations in Peru.
Haase studied abroad last spring in Trinidad, where she immersed herself in learning about different cultures and global issues. She is a member of the Tri Delta sorority, Concert Choir, Dance Team, and International Students Association. She has also been named to the Deans List.
Noble has displayed his sculptures and other works in solo exhibitions at Robert Pardo Gallery, N.Y., Center for Visual Arts Gallery at Brookdale College, N.J., View Gallery, N.J., New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, Anderson Gallery, Richmond, Va., Nerlino Gallery, N.Y., Stux Gallery, N.Y., and Marian Goodman Gallery, N.Y., among other venues. His work has been featured in dozens of group exhibitions, including a show at Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice, Italy.
Noble has written reviews over the past several years for Sculpture and has produced other published articles, including a piece in Journal of Architecture.
He was visiting professor of sculpture at Cornell University, and has also taught at Cedar Crest College and Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, N.J., among others. He holds a master of fine arts degree from Rutgers University and a bachelor of arts from Hull College of Art, England.
