Woman: I LIKE TO SEE PEOPLE'S HAND IN THE WORLD.

Woman: IF IT DOESN'T HAVE AMBIGUITY, DON'T BOTHER.

Man: I WAS IN SEARCH OF AN IMAGE THAT COULD BEST ARTICULATE AMERICANISM.

Woman: IT'S ABOUT A REALLY VERY FUNDAMENTAL ACT OF MAKING.

Woman: NO ONE REALLY WANTS PERFECTION.

WE'RE OBSESSED WITH PERFECTION.

HI, I'M JOHN McENROE.

YOU PROBABLY KNOW ME AS A TENNIS PLAYER.

BUT DID YOU ALSO KNOW I LOVE ART?

YOU KNOW WHAT THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT I EVER RECEIVED WAS?

THAT I PLAYED LIKE AN ARTIST ON A TENNIS COURT.

THAT I TOOK CHANCES.

WENT OUT ON A LIMB.

PEOPLE SOMETIMES THINK, MYSELF INCLUDED, THAT ART AND TENNIS ARE TOO EXPENSIVE AND OUT OF REACH.

BUT ANYONE CAN WALK INTO A TENNIS COURT, AND ANYONE CAN WALK INTO A GALLERY OR MUSEUM.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BUY THE ART OR BUY INTO IT.

EVEN IF WE DON'T CONSUME ART, WE ALL CONSUME... FOOD.

SEX.

MONEY.

CULTURE.

YEAH, THAT WOULD BE COOL.

AND FINALLY, WHAT IS CONSUMPTION ANYWAY?

THE FOUR ARTISTS YOU'LL MEET TONIGHT... ALL RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT THE THINGS WE CONSUME EVERY DAY.

NOW ENJOY THE SHOW.

RIGHT.

RIGHT.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

NICE TO MEET YOU.

I'M MICHAEL RAY CHARLES.

Woman: WHAT'S THE REASON FOR THE BLACKFACE?

Charles: WELL, THE BLACKFACE IS TO COMMENT ON THE PRESENCE OF THE PAST.

MAN HAS ALWAYS TRIED TO COVER UP WHAT HAS BEEN MOST UGLY ABOUT MAN.

RIGHT.

OR MANKIND.

RIGHT.

SO, ISSUES ABOUT RACE IN THIS COUNTRY -- RACE, RACE RELATIONS -- WE'RE STILL CONFLICTED ABOUT IT.

Woman: RIGHT, EXACTLY.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH AMERICAN HISTORY.

I'VE BEEN CALLED A SELL-OUT.

PEOPLE QUESTION MY BLACKNESS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ACCUSE ME OF PERPETUATING A STEREOTYPE.

AND I THINK THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN PERPETUATING SOMETHING AND QUESTIONING SOMETHING.

AND I LIKE TO GET AS CLOSE TO IT AS POSSIBLE.

AND I LIKE TO GET AS CLOSE TO IT AS POSSIBLE.

Charles: I WAS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, AND I WAS IN SEARCH OF AN IMAGE THAT COULD BEST ARTICULATE AMERICANISM, COULD SUM UP WHAT IS HAPPENING, OR WHAT HAS HAPPENED, OR WHAT WAS HAPPENING WITH BLACKNESS.

A FRIEND HANDED ME THIS, AND I SAID THANKS, AND SO I TOSSED IT IN THE CORNER.

AND ONE DAY I'M CLEANING OUT, SWEEPING OUT THE STUDIO, AND I PICKED THIS UP AND BEGAN TO REALLY LOOK AT IT.

THIS LED TO A SERIES OF PIECES.

ACTUALLY THIS WAS THE FIRST PIECE, WHICH WAS INCLUDED IN AN EXHIBITION IN WHICH I MADE 50 LITTLE CARRIAGES, LIKE BABY CARRIAGES.

AND I DISPLAYED THESE AS IF THEY WERE STARS ON THE FLAG.

PEOPLE BEGAN TO KNOCK OVER THE GLASS CASE AND, ON MANY OCCASIONS, CONDEMN THE PRESENCE OF SUCH IMAGERY.

IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I GOT A SENSE OF NOT ONLY THE SERIOUSNESS INVOLVED WITH USE OF THESE IMAGES, BUT THE EMOTIONAL PRESENCE OF THE PAST.

[ CLICKS REMOTE ] [ MUSIC PLAYS ] [ CLICK ] [ R & B PLAYS ] THE RIGHT SONG.

I FIND BEAUTY IN ODD PLACES.

YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES I'M DRIVING OR WALKING AND I MIGHT JUST STOP AND FREEZE.

MAYBE A SIGN, OR THE WAY LIGHT HITS A BUILDING, THE WAY THAT THE SHADOW IS THROWN ACROSS THE STREET.

I THINK BEAUTY EMBODIES WHAT WE CONSIDER UGLY AS WELL AS WHAT WE CONSIDER BEAUTIFUL.

FOR ME, BEAUTY IS HISTORY.

BEAUTY IS HAVING LIVED.

BEAUTY IS EVIDENCE, IT'S A MARK.

DAD?

WHAT'S THAT, BUDDY?

I WON.

YOU DID?

YOU WON AGAIN?

I BEAT YOU.

OOH, YOU WAIT.

I STILL WON.

YOU DID AGAIN?

YEAH.

THERE'S SEVERAL ETRUSCAN IMAGES.

ONE, THIS ONE APPEARS TO BE HEADS OF A WHITE WOMAN AND NEGRO.

LATE 6th CENTURY B.C.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M QUITE INTERESTED IN IS MAKING SENSE OF HOW THESE IMAGES MAY BE CONNECTED TO IMAGES LIKE THIS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE DISCOVERED IS THAT A LOT OF THESE HELLENISTIC PERIOD, GRECO-ROMAN PIECES WERE COLLECTED AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY.

ONCE THESE IMAGES WERE COLLECTED AND THEN DISPLAYED, THEY WERE APPROPRIATED BY EARLY AMERICAN ILLUSTRATORS AND ARE USED TO INFORM THEIR OWN WORK, PERHAPS.

THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS.

TRIPTYCH, WHICH EVENTUALLY WILL READ "CLASSICAL, MODERN," AND THEN "POST-MODERN" IN THE LAST PANEL.

THIS PIECE IS ABOUT THE INFLUENCE OF THE CLASSICAL IMAGE UPON EARLY 20th-CENTURY IMAGE OF BLACKS AS WELL AS LATE TO EARLY 21st- CENTURY IMAGE OF A BLACK PERSON.

THE CLASSICAL IMAGE COMES FROM, AS MENTIONED BEFORE, GRECO-ROMAN POTTERY.

AND I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING, THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THIS IMAGE WITH THIS PARTICULAR IMAGE, WHICH COMES FROM A CAST-IRON BANK, AT THE 20th... 20th-CENTURY...

MASS-PRODUCED ITEM HERE.

I'VE BEEN DEALING WITH THE SAMBO IMAGE FOR 10 YEARS NOW AND FOR THE LIFE OF ME, WHEN I THINK I'VE GOT IT FIGURED OUT, I JUST REALIZE I DON'T.

I THINK PEOPLE TODAY, THEY OPERATE FROM AN EMOTIONAL PLACE WHEN THEY SEE THESE IMAGES, BECAUSE THEY THINK OF THE PAST AS BEING SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED AND THAT THESE CONCEPTS DON'T LINGER.

BUT THESE CONCEPTS CONTINUE TO AFFECT US IN MANY WAYS.

I THINK THAT THESE IMAGES ARE JUST AS MUCH WHITE AS THEY ARE BLACK.

YOU'VE GOT TO THINK OF HOW THESE IMAGES WERE USED IN AMERICAN CULTURE.

THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

I THINK IT WAS LINKED TO EARLY MARKETING PRACTICES, EARLY ADVERTISING.

LINKING A PRODUCT TO ROMANCE, A ROMANTIC NOTION -- THE OLD SOUTH.

THE CARICATURE OF THE SAMBO, THE DARKIE, THE PICKANINNIES, I THINK THESE IMAGES ARE VERY MUCH A PART OF WHO WE ARE AS BLACKS, AND THEY'RE VERY MUCH A PART OF WHO WE ARE AS AMERICANS.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE, MY KID KEEPS ASKING ME FOR THIS ONE.

NOTICE THE TARZAN IMAGE.

YOU REALLY LOOK AT THIS IMAGE OF THE TARZAN.

IT'S A VERY BEAUTIFUL IMAGE.

SOFT AND SUBTLE, THE CURVES.

VERY MUCH LIKE SPEED RACER, VERY MUCH LIKE ELVIS PRESLEY.

THE BLACK HAIR, DARK EYEBROWS, BLUE EYES.

A BEAUTIFUL IMAGE.

COMPARED TO THIS IMAGE.

ANGER, BEAST-LIKE FEATURES.

I THINK IT'S THE SAME MESSAGE WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING FOR YEARS.

IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, IF IT'S NOT SAID DIRECTLY, IT'S SAID INDIRECTLY.

AND IT'S UNDERSTOOD INDIRECTLY AND ENFORCED ON, I THINK, SUBCONSCIOUS LEVELS, THAT, YOU KNOW, BLACK IS BAD.

[ CHILD PRAYING ] AMEN.

Charles: THANK YOU, ERIC.

AS LONG AS MY KIDS ARE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY ARE PRODUCTIVE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT HELPS THEM TO FLOURISH AND GROW, I'M HAPPY, I'M FINE.

I'LL SACRIFICE NOT BEING IN NEW YORK.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME IS THAT THEY GET A GOOD START.

AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO ME IS THEY'RE WELL-PREPARED TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD, IN AMERICA -- IN AMERICA, WHEREVER THEY CHOOSE TO LIVE, THEY'RE WELL-PREPARED TO DO SO.

WHAT CAN THE MATTER BE?

IT CAN'T BE TOO SERIOUS, WE CAN TALK IT OVER LIVING IN THIS MISERY DARLING, YOU CAN'T MAKE MY LIFE ALL OVER Charles: I'M STARTING A SERIES -- "ROCK 'N BOLD."

"ROCK 'N BOLD," WHICH FOR ME BEGINS TO EXPLORE NOTIONS ABOUT MINSTRELSY AND BLACKFACE AND HOW THAT BEING THE FIRST POP CULTURE PHENOMENON IN THIS COUNTRY.

THIS IS NOT A MALICIOUS PIECE.

I ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE SEVERAL THINGS HERE.

IT'S VERY LAYERED, IT'S VERY LAYERED.

THE REFERENCE TO BLACKFACE IN RELATIONSHIP TO ELVIS PRESLEY IMAGE, THE BLACKFACE IMAGE CAN FLIP-FLOP FOR ME, IT CAN REFERENCE A MALE, A FEMALE, A WHITE MALE IN A BLACK CONTEXT, A BLACK MALE DEFINITELY IN A WHITE CONTEXT.

ASIAN, WHOMEVER.

SOMEONE THAT'S SMALL, SOMEONE THAT'S, YOU KNOW...

SOMEONE WHO, OR ANYONE THAT IS "OTHERED."

ELVIS WAS CONSIDERED A HILLBILLY.

HIS MANAGER MENTIONED THAT IF HE COULD GET A WHITE BOY THAT COULD SING LIKE A NIGGER, HE COULD MAKE A MILLION BUCKS.

AND THAT HE DID.

AND "A LITTLE SOUTHERN COMFORT HAS HELPED US ALL" IS A JAB, LIKE A LITTLE REMINDER THAT ALL OF THE WORK THAT WAS DONE BY A SLAVE WAS FREE LABOR THAT HAS LED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS COUNTRY.

THAT HAS LED TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS COUNTRY.

THE LINCOLN COIN ITSELF HAS BECOME A COOL SIGNATURE OF MINE, IT'S ALMOST LIKE A LOGO.

I USE THE LINCOLN HEAD BECAUSE IT'S LIKE A LINGERING QUESTION.

WHAT EXACTLY WERE WE EMANCIPATED FROM?

WAS IT ENSLAVEMENT?

YES, BUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL THERE WERE OTHER DEVICES THAT MADE UP THE GAP THAT MANAGED TO, AGAIN, ENSLAVE US AGAIN, I GUESS, BUT IN A DIFFERENT MANNER.

I LIKE TO SAY THAT ONE CAN MAKE CHANGE, ONE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

SO, I THINK THAT EACH PAINTING THAT I DO CAN EVOKE THOUGHT AND ENCOURAGE SOMEONE TO PERHAPS CONSIDER THINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY'VE UNDERSTOOD IT IN THE PAST.

THAN THEY'VE UNDERSTOOD IT IN THE PAST.

Man: THERE ARE ELEMENTS TO THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL.

I CONSIDER ALL OF THE THINGS THAT I WORK WITH ATTRACTIVE TO ME.

WHETHER THEY REPULSE ME OR NOT, I'M STILL VERY, VERY ATTRACTED TO THEM.

Woman: I JUST FEEL LIKE IT'S AT THE BASIS OF EXISTENCE.

TO ME IT'S FUNDAMENTAL, LIKE A RUDIMENTARY KIND OF UNDERSTANDING OF LIFE.

Man: I RECOGNIZE IN HIM A CERTAIN KIND OF ENERGY AND YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE.

HE'S A PERSON WHO JUST WANTS TO FOLLOW THE IMAGINATION OF HIS OWN WORK.

Barney: A SYSTEM THAT HAS AN INTERNAL OBJECT.

FREUDIAN NARRATIVES, CONSUMER AND A PRODUCER.

VIOLENCE.

SEXUALLY DRIVEN.

NFL FILMS.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT I THINK ABOUT.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT I THINK ABOUT.

ALL RIGHT, JUST REALLY QUICKLY, GUYS.

THE LIGHT'S GOING TO COME UP REALLY QUICKLY THIS MORNING BECAUSE THERE'S NO CLOUD COVER, AND OUR SHOOTING WINDOW'S GONNA BE REALLY NARROW.

SO WE WANT TO TRY AND BE AS ORGANIZED AS POSSIBLE.

Man: YOU'RE PUSHING IT AT 5:00 IN THE MORNING, YOU'RE PUSHING IT.

YOU KNOW I'M NOT AWAKE YET.

Barney: THE CREMASTER MUSCLE IS A MUSCLE WHICH CONTROLS THE HEIGHT OF THE INTERNAL REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM IN THE MALE.

IT'S BEEN TAKEN ON HERE AS A STAND-IN FOR CONFLICT.

YOU'RE ALL SET, BE GOOD.

Barney: THE FILM WAS SHOT AND LIT LIKE A CLASSIC ZOMBIE FILM.

IT'LL START WITHIN THE HORROR GENRE AND THEN IMMEDIATELY MOVE OUT OF IT INTO A KIND OF AN ART-DECO KIND OF GANGSTER GENRE.

THE HORSE IS MEANT TO FORESHADOW THE FATE OF THIS BETRAYER AND WHAT HE SEES AS A FIELD OF TEN HORSES IN HARNESS RUNNING DEAD.

ALL RIGHT, YOU GUYS!

WE'RE READY FOR YOU.

[ DRIVER SHOUTING ANGRILY ] Man: WELL, THEY'RE MAKING A FILM.

I'M NOT TOO CERTAIN WHAT THE FILM'S ABOUT, BUT I GUESS THIS IS A DREAM SEQUENCE, AND THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE THE HORSES WITH THIS SPANDEX CLOTHING ON THEM.

IT WAS ALL CHOREOGRAPHED, SO WE WERE ALL INSTRUCTED WHERE TO FINISH.

LUCKILY I'M GOING TO WIN IT.

Man: HEY, CHELS, IT'S GABE.

Chelsea: HI, GABE.

DO YOU KNOW THE NEXT TWO HORSES AFTER THE TWO WE HAVE?

I'VE DONE THE PROSTHETIC EFFECTS ON THE LAST FOUR OR FIVE PROJECTS.

IT'S ALWAYS THESE STRANGE CALLS, HE'S JUST CALLING TO SAY HI, AND THEN HE'S LIKE, "HEY, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF ON THE NEXT PROJECT WE WERE DOING SOMETHING LIKE THIS?"

AND I'M LIKE, "OH, WOW."

SO, THIS IS ACTUALLY THE MOST AMBITIOUS STUFF, AT LEAST IN ALL THE CREMASTER SERIES.

MATT HAD REAL SPECIFIC IDEAS ABOUT IT.

AT A PRETTY FUNNY BREAKFAST, WE BROUGHT OUT ALL OUR ANATOMY BOOKS AND BOOKS OF MORGUES AND STUFF, AND I WAS KINDA LIKE, "IS THIS WHAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT?"

WHAT'S REALLY PROVEN TO BE THE ENGINEERING MARVEL IS THE SPANDEX SUITS UNDERNEATH.

IT'S SUPER-STRETCHING SPANDEX FOR DIRECTION, REINFORCED WITH ZIPPERS AND BUCKLES.

LAYERS OF SKIN ARE THEN SEWED ON AND WE DRESS IT AND TEAR IT AND BURN IT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL LOOK DIFFERENT.

YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME PEDIGREE, BUT THEY ALL HAVE THEIR OWN IDENTITIES.

Barney: BECAUSE THESE WERE FULL BODY SUITS THAT THE HORSES WERE WEARING, AND THEY WERE ABSORBENT, THEY WERE FILLING UP WITH SWEAT, THE HORSES WERE BECOMING FATIGUED AND OVERHEATED.

SO WE WOULD DO TAKES, A TAKE, TWO TAKES, AND THE VET WOULD SAY, "THAT'S IT, THEY NEED A REST.

THE SUITS NEED TO COME OFF THEM."

AND THAT'S WHAT WE WOULD DO.

Bartalos: MATT IS SO HANDS-ON WITH IT.

WE'RE REALLY JUST AN EXTENSION OF HIM.

IT'S GREAT FOR US, BECAUSE IT'S ALL BASED IN ARTWORK, AND THAT'S, SELFISHLY FOR ME, WHAT'S FUN.

THERE'S 10 HORSES, THERE'S 5 TEAMS OF 2, SO EACH PAIR WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED -- IN FRONT OF THE SAME BACKGROUND.

Romersa: ALL OF US ARE ARTISTS.

I THINK ALL OF US, THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM IN OUR HEADS OR IN OUR SPACE TO CONTINUE TO THINK ARTISTICALLY IN OUR OWN WAY, AND THEREFORE IT SEEMS TO -- THERE'S A GOOD PRODUCT IN THE END FOR MATTHEW, AND IT'S A GOOD PRODUCT FOR US INDIVIDUALLY.

SO, THE ROOF NEXT.

WE'RE READY FOR THAT SHOT?

OKAY.

Barney: FOR THE SCALE OF THESE PROJECTS, WE'RE A VERY SMALL GROUP.

BECAUSE OF THAT FACT, IT'S QUITE FAMILY -- IT FEELS A BIT LIKE A FAMILY.

WE NEEDED A STEWARD AND WE NEEDED A PRESIDING JUDGE, AND I CALLED MY FATHER AND ASKED HIM TO PLAY THE PRESIDING JUDGE AND HE BROUGHT A CLOSE FRIEND OF HIS INTO THE ROLE OF THE STEWARD.

SO IT'S TWO SHOTS.

FIRST SHOT, THE CANISTER COMES DOWN TO YOU, YOU OPEN IT UP, YOU LOOK AT IT, CUT.

ACTUALLY, COULD YOU COME FORWARD AGAIN?

YEAH, THAT'S BETTER, LOOKING UP.

THREE, TWO, ONE WITH THE CANISTER.

HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN VERY FOCUSED, ALWAYS HAD GOALS IN FRONT OF HIM AND WOULD WORK VERY DILIGENTLY TO GET THERE.

Matthew: AND CUT, EXCELLENT.

YOU HAPPY WITH THAT?

YEAH.

YEAH.

Robert: I WATCHED HIM AT WORK, WHICH WAS ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING TO SEE HOW HE CAN PUT THINGS TOGETHER.

SO, MATT, WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SET UP?

Matthew: I'M THINKING OVER HERE.

Robert: IT'S BOTH THE ARTISTIC SIDE AND THE BUSINESS SIDE.

HE SEEMS TO HAVE BOTH GOING FOR HIM.

Romersa: AND CUT.

Matthew: GORGEOUS.

OKAY.

Robert: HE DIDN'T REALLY SHOW THE ARTISTIC SIDE OF HIMSELF UNTIL LATER.

LOOKING BACK, HE WANTED TO BE A PLASTIC SURGEON, AND IT'S PROBABLY BETTER HE WENT INTO ART.

HE JUST GOES OUT AND DOES THINGS.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS.

HE DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE SOME OF THE FEARS THAT THE REST OF US DO.

HE JUST SEEMS TO GO STRAIGHT AT IT AND FIND A WAY TO DO IT.

HE JUST SEEMS TO GO STRAIGHT AT IT AND FIND A WAY TO DO IT.

Bartalos: TODAY'S OUR SECOND DAY DOING THIS MAKEUP ON MATT.

FOR THIS MAKEUP, MATTHEW WEARS A PROSTHETIC OF HIS LIPS BLOWN OPEN AND THE GUMS SHATTERED.

AND THEN I USE WHAT'S CALLED PAX, IT GIVES HIM THE STRANGE SKIN TONE.

AND THEN WE MODEL WITH AIRBRUSH THE STRANGE RED VEINS ON IT TO GIVE IT A KIND OF AN ORGANIC LIFE UNDERNEATH THE PLASTIC FEEL.

USUALLY, WHAT I DO IS THAT.

Man: I THINK MATTHEW IS PICTURING THIS AS SOME KIND OF MORE FORMAL THING LIKE WHEN YOU'RE WATCHING THE GUY... Matthew: IT'S PROBABLY HARDER FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO TAKE DIRECTION BECAUSE I LOOK SO RIDICULOUS.

Man: SO, RICHARD, I'D LIKE TO TRY A COUPLE COURT PAINTINGS, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU'RE KIND OF ON 3/4 AND THE HAND IS REALLY DELIBERATE IN FRONT.

AND THE EYES ARE SORT OF OFF... Matthew: AS THE STORY BECAME ABOUT A CONFLICT BETWEEN A UNION OF METAL WORKERS AND A UNION OF STONE MASONS, RICHARD SERRA STARTED TO MAKE SENSE TO ME AS A KIND OF CHIEFTAIN CHARACTER WHO COULD PRESIDE OVER THE METAL WORKERS.

LIKE SO, MATTHEW?

LOOKING GOOD, NICE.

TO BE SURE, RICHARD'S BEEN A MAJOR INFLUENCE ON MY WORK.

AND PARTICULARLY, THE "THROWING LEAD" PIECES THAT HE DID IN THE LATE '60s.

Serra: I THINK A GUY LIKE MATTHEW PROBABLY LOOKS AT MY WORK AND THERE'S A CERTAIN KIND OF PHYSICALITY THAT HE RECOGNIZES IN THE WORK, WHERE HE FEELS HIS SENSIBILITY CAN LINK INTO THAT PHYSICALITY.

ALBEIT, HE HAS A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT WAY OF VIEWING THE WORLD, BASICALLY THROUGH IMAGES, NOT THROUGH MODELS.

Matthew: LITTLE MORE TORQUE ON THE UPPER BODY, GOOD.

EYES RIGHT IN THE LENS, GOOD.

TAKE A QUICK LOOK.

IT'S WEIRD.

Matthew: YOU KNOW, IN A CERTAIN WAY, A LOT OF THE CHARACTERS THAT I BRING INTO THIS ARE ASKED TO DO THINGS THAT REALLY HAVE TO DO WITH SORT OF PHYSICAL FEAT RATHER THAN A KIND OF MANNERED, UM...

PERFORMANCE IN ANY WAY.

OKAY, LET'S DO IT.

Man: LET'S LOCK IT UP, GUYS.

Matthew: THREE, TWO, ONE, START THE BOOM, AND ACTION.

THE ARCHITECT, WHO'S PLAYED BY RICHARD SERRA, IS SHOWN THROWING VASELINE ON THE TOP OF LEVEL FIVE, IN REALLY EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT HE THREW HOT LEAD IN THE LATE '60s.

OF THE TYPES OF WORK THAT I GRAVITATED TOWARDS IN ART SCHOOL, THOSE WERE THE FIRST PIECES THAT I THINK I TRULY UNDERSTOOD.

AND THREE, TWO, ONE, AND ACTION.

CHARACTERS LIKE HARRY HOUDINI, GARY GILMORE, NORMAN MAILER, URSULA ANDRESS IN CERTAIN WAYS... HAVE A KIND A PHYSICALITY IN COMMON, ABOUT THE WAY THAT VIOLENCE IS SUBLIMATED INTO FORM SOMEHOW.

WHICH IS FOR ME WHAT "THROWING LEAD" IS.

AND I THINK THAT, AS A THEME, IS SORT OF CENTRAL TO WHAT MY PROJECT IS ABOUT.

I THINK WE'RE JUST TRYING TO GET IT RIGHT, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SCENE TO WORK, WITHOUT PASSING ANY JUDGMENT ON IT, REALLY.

WITHOUT PASSING ANY JUDGMENT ON IT, REALLY.

Zittel: PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, THEY'RE FORMS OF REPRESENTATION.

I DON'T THINK THAT ANYTHING THAT I DO IS SO DISSIMILAR FROM THAT.

IN SOME WAY, THESE ARE ALL ATTEMPTS TO TALK ABOUT MY OWN SUBJECTIVE INTERPRETATION OF THE WORLD, AND TO ALSO DO SOMETHING THAT WILL RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES WITHIN IT.

I GREW UP IN VERY SUBURBAN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.

I THINK MY PARENTS HAD THIS FANTASY ABOUT BUILDING A COUNTRY HOME IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

SO MY DAD BUILT OUR HOME ON THE EDGE OF A MOUNTAIN.

BY THE TIME I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, IT WAS COMPLETELY BUILT UP, IT WAS SUBURBIA.

IT WAS ONLY AFTER I MOVED TO NEW YORK THAT I REALIZED WHAT A GIFT IT WAS TO COME FROM SOMEPLACE SO NORMAL.

I MOVED TO NEW YORK IN 1990, AND THE FIRST PLACE I LIVED IN WAS THIS REALLY TINY STOREFRONT, ALSO IN BROOKLYN.

AT THAT TIME I WAS DOING REALLY DIFFERENT WORK.

I WAS ACTUALLY WORKING WITH ANIMALS AND BREEDING THEM.

FOR INSTANCE, A BREEDING UNIT, NOT ONLY WOULD IT INFLUENCE THE WAY THAT THE ANIMAL WOULD DEVELOP, BUT IT WOULD ALSO HAVE EVERYTHING BUILT INTO IT THAT THE ANIMAL WOULD NEED FOR LIVING.

SO, YOU KNOW, AFTER DOING THIS WORK AND LIVING IN THIS TINY SPACE FOR A WHILE, I THINK THAT IT STARTED TO MAKE PERFECT SENSE TO TRY AND CREATE STRUCTURES LIKE THAT FOR MYSELF TO LIVE IN.

THE LIVING UNIT WAS MEANT TO FUNCTION FOR EVERY SINGLE THING THAT I NEEDED.

YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T HAVE A SHOWER OR BATHTUB, SO IT HAD THIS LARGE PLASTIC SINK THAT I COULD TAKE BATHS IN AS WELL AS WASH MY DISHES IN.

IT HAD A BUILT-IN KITCHEN AREA, IT HAD A DESK AREA, IT HAD A SLEEPING AREA.

IT WAS SORT OF LIKE BUILDING A HOUSE, JUST SOMETHING THAT I COULD OWN AND WOULD BE PERMANENT AND IT WOULD JUST GO INSIDE OF THE HOUSES THAT OTHER PEOPLE WOULD OWN.

I LITERALLY BELIEVED THAT WHEN I MADE THAT PIECE AND I HAD IT COMPLETELY PERFECTED THAT IT WOULD SOLVE ALL OF MY PROBLEMS, YOU KNOW?

AND IT WAS THIS REALLY WONDERFUL PERIOD IN MY LIFE OF FEELING LIKE I WAS MOVING TOWARDS THIS CONCRETE DIRECTION.

AND THE IRONY IS THAT WHEN I FINALLY FINISHED THE LIVING UNIT AND IT WAS PERFECT AND THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT TO DO TO IT, I FELT COMPLETELY DESPONDENT AND VERY SORT OF, LIKE, LISTLESS AND DEPRESSED.

AND AT THAT POINT, IN SORT OF GAUGING MY OWN REACTION, I HAD THIS REVELATION THAT NO ONE REALLY WANTS PERFECTION.

WE'RE OBSESSED WITH PERFECTION, WE'RE OBSESSED WITH INNOVATION AND MOVING FORWARDS, BUT WHAT WE REALLY WANT IS THE HOPE OF SOME SORT OF NEW AND IMPROVED OR BETTER TOMORROW.

I THINK THAT MY WORK'S ALWAYS BEEN REALLY INFLUENCED BY THE PLACES THAT I'VE LIVED IN.

IN FACT, IF YOU LOOK AT EVERY BODY OF WORK, YOU CAN TRACE IT BACK TO PARTICULAR CIRCUMSTANCES THAT I'VE HAD TO DEAL WITH.

WELL, I MEAN, THE KITCHEN IS A GOOD STOP, SORT OF, ON THE A-Z TOUR BECAUSE WHAT I SAID ABOUT THE KITCHEN AND HOW I USED THE KITCHEN.

ANDREA IS NOT A COOK, RIGHT?

WHICH IS REALLY OBVIOUS BECAUSE SHE'S GOT A TEENY, TINY REFRIGERATOR AND -- MY CHICKEN LIVED IN THE KITCHEN.

AND HER CHICKEN LIVED IN THE KITCHEN.

BUT YOU HAVE THIS HUGE TABLE IN THE PRESENTATION ROOM WHICH FACILITATES BIG DINNER PARTIES.

WE DID STAY STRICT TO ANDREA'S, YOU KNOW, SORT OF UTILITARIAN BOWL SYSTEM OF THE SMALL, MEDIUM, AND LARGE BOWLS.

SO YOU JUST USED BOWLS FOR YOUR DINNER PARTIES?

THERE WERE TIMES WHEN WE JUST USED -- I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF YOU CHEATED.

OH, YEAH.

I THINK IT'S A REALLY NICE THING TO TALK ABOUT, IS THIS FLOOR.

I ALWAYS FELT IT WAS THIS MODERNISM PUT INTO A DOMESTIC FRAMEWORK.

ONE OF THE THINGS, TOO, THAT I WANTED TO DO WITH THIS HOUSE WAS TO SORT OF REFLECT THE EARLIER GENERATIONS OF MODERNISM.

I USUALLY POINT TO THE OUTSIDE, BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PARTS OF THE HOUSE.

PARTICULARLY A GARDEN IN BROOKLYN.

THE BATHROOM AT THE A-Z, ANDREA'S HOUSE, IS THE TOUR DE FORCE OF THE HOUSE.

IT'S SORT OF THE EPITOME OF ORGANIZATION, COMFORT, AND UTILITY.

I MEAN, THE FLOOR IS REALLY PARTICULAR IN THAT ANDREA HAND-LAID EVERY TILE, RIGHT?

PAINSTAKINGLY.

WELL, THEY COME IN SQUARE FOOT SECTIONS, BUT I DID THAT BY MYSELF.

AND THEN YOU'LL NOTICE THAT THE MEDICINE CABINETS, INSTEAD OF THROWING ALL OF YOUR STUFF UNDER THE SINK ABYSS, IS ORGANIZED IN "CORRECTION," "TOOLS AND IMPLEMENTS," "SUBTRACTION," AND "ADDITION."

AND "ADDITION" IS SORT OF OBVIOUS THINGS OF -- COSMETICS, SKIN LOTION, DEODORANT.

AND "SUBTRACTION"?

IS THINGS FOR CLEANSING AND TAKING AWAY.

AND THEN EVERYTHING ON TOP IS ORGANIZED, LABELED ACCORDINGLY.

THAT'S SORT OF IT FOR THE BATHROOM, HUH?

FOR NINE YEARS I'VE BEEN DOING THE UNIFORM PROJECT, WHERE I HAVE ONE GARMENT THAT I'LL WEAR FOR A SEASON.

ORIGINALLY IT WAS FOR A SIX-MONTH SEASON, NOW IT'S FOR A FOUR-MONTH SEASON.

OH, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ONE.

THIS IS FROM LAST SPRING.

AND IT'S RAYON.

THEY KIND OF GET WORN OUT AND TATTERED BY THE END, AFTER WEARING THEM FOR FOUR MONTHS.

IT STARTED BECAUSE I HAD AN OFFICE JOB AND I WAS SUPPOSED TO WEAR SOMETHING RESPECTABLE TO WORK BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY.

SORT OF COLORFUL SPRING DRESS.

YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE TIME, WE CAN AFFORD, LIKE, ONE FABULOUS OUTFIT THAT YOU REALLY LOVE TO WEAR.

BUT THERE'S SOME SORT OF SOCIAL STIGMA AGAINST WEARING THE SAME THING TWO DAYS IN A ROW.

SO I DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, IN MY CASE, ACTUALLY, LIKE, VARIETY SEEMED MORE OPPRESSIVE OR RESTRICTIVE THAN CONTINUITY.

SO THIS IS BASICALLY YOUR STANDARD PERSONAL PANEL.

FOR SEVERAL YEARS, I COULD WEAR ANYTHING, AS LONG AS IT WAS MADE OUT OF A RECTANGLE.

IT TIES IN THE BACK, AND THE TOP TIES BEHIND MY NECK.

THE RUSSIAN CONSTRUCTIVISTS MADE CLOTHING THAT WAS VERY GEOMETRIC.

THEY FELT LIKE WHEN YOU WEAVE FABRIC, IT'S IN A RECTANGLE.

SO WHEN YOU ACTUALLY TAKE THAT RECTANGLE AND CUT IT INTO OTHER SHAPES AND THEN SEW IT INTO EVEN DIFFERENT SHAPES, THAT YOU'RE COMPLETELY RUINING THE INTEGRITY OF THE FABRIC.

I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST TAKE IT AND FOR FUN PUSH IT TO ITS FURTHEST EXTREME, WHICH WAS MAKING GARMENTS ONLY FROM RECTANGLES.

BUT WITH JUST SOME SUBTLE CHANGES, YOU HAVE THIS HUGE ARRAY OF, YOU KNOW, KIND OF REFERENCES.

AFTER A WHILE, I GOT SORT OF TIRED OF WEARING RECTANGLES ALL THE TIME.

BUT KEEPING WITHIN THAT SET OF PARAMETERS, THE ONLY THING THAT I COULD THINK OF THAT WOULD BE LIKE A FIRST-HAND FORM OF CREATING SOMETHING, WHERE YOU'RE NOT MAKING ONE THING AND CHANGING IT INTO SOMETHING ELSE, WAS MAKING SOMETHING FROM A STRAND.

SO THAT'S WHY I'VE BEEN CROCHETING MY DRESSES NOW.

IT'S THAT, YOU KNOW, EVERYTHING BECOMES LIKE THIS ONE SORT OF CONTINUOUS STRAND.

THE MOST INSANE DRESS IS THE ONE I'M GOING TO WEAR NEXT SUMMER, OR THIS SUMMER.

THIS IS ACTUALLY -- THIS IS THE DRESS THAT I'VE MADE TO WEAR ON THE ISLAND IN DENMARK.

AND I STARTED MAKING THIS OVER A YEAR AGO, WHEN I STARTED TRAVELING TO DENMARK, AND I REALIZED HOW COLD AND RAINY IT IS THERE ALL THE TIME.

SO THIS IS KIND OF LIKE THE ALPINE FANTASY DRESS.

YOU KNOW, MY PARENTS LIKED TO TRAVEL, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT MUCH MONEY BECAUSE THEY WERE SCHOOL TEACHERS.

SO WE WOULD ALWAYS HAVE THESE SORT OF CRAZY SUMMER SCHEMES, YOU KNOW, LIKE GOING TO EUROPE AND CAMPING ACROSS EUROPE.

THEY HAD A VOLKSWAGEN BUS.

SO I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN A VERY, VERY SMALL SPACE WITH MY FAMILY.

WHEN I WAS 12, THEY BOUGHT A 31-FOOT SAILBOAT.

AND SO WE DID SAILING TRIPS IN THAT.

I ALWAYS HATED SAILING, BUT I WAS REALLY OBSESSED WITH THE WAY THAT THE BOAT WOULD FUNCTION.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A MODEL FOR A SECOND VARIATION ON A PIECE THAT I'VE BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS CALLED "A POCKET PROPERTY."

IT'S ABOUT A 54-FOOT BY 23-FOOT CONCRETE FLOATING ISLAND.

THE IDEA IS THAT IT'S MEANT -- IT'S, UM, YOUR PROPERTY AND YOUR DWELLING AND YOUR VEHICLE ALL IN ONE.

ONE MASS-REPRODUCIBLE COMPONENT.

LAST SUMMER WE BASICALLY BUILT THE ENTIRE ISLAND.

AND THEN IT WAS OPENED IN CONJUNCTION WITH AN ARCHITECTURAL EXHIBITION.

THIS SUMMER, ACTUALLY, IN ABOUT 3 OR 4 DAYS, I'M GOING TO GO TO DENMARK AND LIVE ON IT FOR A MONTH.

AND FOR ONE PART OF THAT, FOR ONE WEEK OF THAT MONTH ACTUALLY, SOME FRIENDS ARE GOING TO COME OUT, AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A FILM ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF LIVING ON THE ISLAND.

HELLO.

I'M AXEL.

I'M FROM -- THIS IS JORGEN, MY PHOTOGRAPHER.

I'VE ACTUALLY BEEN TRYING TO CALL YOU.

I'M ACTUALLY REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS PROJECT, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, IN THE BEGINNING, MY ART WAS ALWAYS VERY EXPERIENCE-BASED.

I MEAN, IN SOME PROJECTS, THERE'S NOT EVEN A TANGIBLE PRODUCT, YOU KNOW, OBJECT THAT COMES OUT IN THE END.

OKAY, SO THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN WAIT AND DO IT, LIKE TOMORROW OR THE NEXT DAY?

IT'S A LONG TRIP.

I FEEL THAT HAVING THESE, LIKE, REALLY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCES, WHICH ARE COMPLETELY UNPREDICTABLE -- YOU KNOW, LIKE SETTING UP A SCENARIO WHERE I TEST SOME SORT OF LIVING SITUATION.

YOU KNOW, PARTIALLY BECAUSE I'M TERRIFIED OF DOING IT, PARTIALLY BECAUSE I'M REALLY, LIKE, YOU KNOW, ENCHANTED BY THE IDEA OF DOING IT.

BUT NOT REALLY KNOWING BEFOREHAND IF IT'S GOING TO BE A GREAT EXPERIENCE OR A HORRIBLE ONE.

CAN YOU SEE THE NEW PLANTS GROWING?

NO.

YOU HAVE THE SMALL ONES HERE?

YEAH, I PLANTED THEM A FEW DAYS AGO.

THEY'RE FINALLY STARTING TO GROW.

IT LOOKS LIKE WHAT I'M TRYING TO REMOVE IN MY GARDEN, YOU KNOW, WITH GOING LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME.

WEEDS?

YEAH.

YEAH, BUT ON AN ISLAND, YOU'RE EVEN GRATEFUL FOR THE WEEDS.

DON'T YOU HAVE A NEED TO GET IN CONTACT WITH PEOPLE?

THAT'S WHY I'M OUT HERE, TO GET AWAY FROM YOU GUYS.

MOST OF YOUR WORK IS LIKE BEING ALONE, ISN'T IT?

YEAH, MOST OF MY WORK'S ABOUT CREATING REALLY SORT OF INTIMATE, PERSONAL, CONTROLLABLE SITUATIONS.

YEAH.

LIKE, ALL OF MY IDEAS, THEY'RE SORT OF HUMOROUS, BUT THEY'RE ALSO A LITTLE DARK AT THE SAME TIME.

YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE I HAVE THIS FANTASY OF BEING COMPLETELY AUTONOMOUS AND INDEPENDENT AND, YOU KNOW, AT PEACE.

AND, LIKE, NOT HAVING ANY OF, LIKE, THE DAY-TO-DAY PROBLEMS.

BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO THE SENSE OF, LIKE, ISOLATION THAT COMES ALONG WITH IT.

PEOPLE SAY THAT MY WORK'S ABOUT DESIGN OR IT'S ABOUT LEISURE.

BUT REALLY, I THINK THAT IT'S MUCH -- LIKE THE MAIN ISSUES ARE MUCH LESS TANGIBLE THAN THAT.

THE ISSUES THAT I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN ARE, YOU KNOW, HUMAN VALUES AND PERCEPTIONS AND HOW YOU THINK THAT YOU UNDERSTAND CERTAIN, YOU KNOW, FUNDAMENTAL VALUES THAT YOU, YOU KNOW -- WITHIN YOUR LIFE, AND YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE AND THAT YOU NEED THESE THINGS.

BUT THEN THEY'RE CONSTANTLY INVERTING INTO EACH OTHER.

IT'S LIKE THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE LIBERATING CAN ACTUALLY BECOME EXTREMELY CONFINING OR RESTRICTIVE OR REPRESSIVE.

AND THINGS THAT YOU THINK ARE CONTROLLING CAN ACTUALLY GIVE YOU A GREATER SENSE OF SECURITY AND LIBERATION IN THE END.

A GREATER SENSE OF SECURITY AND LIBERATION IN THE END.

Chin: IT WAS AFTER A BIG MUSEUM SHOW, HER FIRST MUSEUM SHOW, THAT I WAS IN AN ELEVATOR, GOING DOWN AND THE VOICE SAYS, OR ASKS, "MEL, WHAT DO YOU LOVE MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE WORLD?"

AND I SAID, "WELL, I LOVE TO MAKE THINGS WITH MY HANDS.

I JUST LOVE DOING THAT."

THE OTHER VOICE SAYS, "OKAY, STOP."

AND I LISTENED TO THAT VOICE.

BY STOPPING, I WAS ABLE TO FLOW FREE IN THE WORLD AGAIN, NOT BEING HELD BY SOME DELUSIONAL IDEA OF WHAT IT MEANT TO BE AN ARTIST.

AND I FELT FREE TO LISTEN TO OTHER VOICES, OTHER IDEAS THAT WERE IN THE WORLD.

IT HAPPENED ON DETROIT'S EAST SIDE, THE 2100 BLOCK OF SPRINGELL.

YOU'RE WATCHING ONE OF THE MOST INTENSE FIRES OF THIS "DEVIL'S NIGHT."

THE TARGET -- AN ABANDONED HOME.

FOR NEARLY 2 1/2 HOURS, CITY FIREFIGHTERS STRUGGLED WITH LOW WATER PRESSURE AND A ROARING BLAZE.

Chin: IF YOU LOOK AT THE IMAGES OF BURNING HOMES IN DETROIT, IF THAT'S MY RECOLLECTION OF IT, I HAVE TO CHANGE THAT IMAGE OF THAT HOUSE.

WHAT COULD YOU DO WITH THAT HOUSE?

YOU HAVE NO ELECTRICITY, NO WATER, NO MONEY.

BUT YOU HAVE THESE PLACES DECAYED BY FIRE OR BY ABANDONMENT.

AS AN ARTIST, YOU GO IN TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE.

THAT'S WHERE THE "SPAWN" IDEA CAME AROUND -- IT STANDS FOR... A COVERT ACTIVITY.

YOU TAKE THE INTERNAL ORGANS OF A PLACE, AND YOU USE IT IN A WHOLE 'NOTHER WAY, RATHER THAN JUST RECONSTRUCTION.

Man: BUT IT'S SAD TO SEE SOMETHING THAT WAS WORKING AND NOW NOT WORKING.

CAN WE GET UP THE STAIRS THIS WAY?

WE'D BE BETTER OFF GOING UP THE STAIRS THE FRONT WAY.

THIS HAS GOT A LOT OF TRASH.

Chin: THIS PROJECT IS ABOUT TRANSFORMATION ON MANY DIFFERENT LEVELS.

YOU'RE TAKING WHAT IS CONSIDERED OF NO VALUE AND OF SHAME AND SAYING, "NO, IT HAS VALUE, BUT IT HAS ANOTHER KIND OF VALUE, ANOTHER LIFE."

THROUGH THE IDEA OF CONCEPTUAL ART, WE CAN DO THIS.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE KIND OF, RECLAIM IT OUT OF THE FIRE.

IT'S A WHOLE 'NOTHER IDEA.

SO IT'S A THREE-YEAR PROJECT, MAYBE TWO-YEAR PROJECT, WHERE YOU ACTUALLY SEE A TRANSFORMATION OVER TIME.

Man: AND THE LAST I KNOW, THE BASEMENT WAS FLOODED.

Chin: OKAY, SO THERE IS A BASEMENT TO THIS?

BUT WE GOT TO ENGINEER IT CORRECTLY.

SO YOU CAN WORK ON ONE HALF.

AND THE WHOLE HOUSE CAN JUST SWING ASIDE AND THE BASEMENT IS REVEALED.

TAKE A WHOLE HOUSE, PUT IT ON A PIVOT, SO THE WHOLE HOUSE CAN SPIN ASIDE.

AND UNDERNEATH IS ALL THIS ACTIVITY IN THE BASEMENT OF RAISING EARTHWORMS, OR FISHING WORMS, DEVIL'S NIGHT CRAWLERS THAT YOU CAN SELL TO THE LARGE FISHING POPULATION, IN A WAY WHERE IT COULD REALLY HELP TRANSFORM THE VISION OF DETROIT IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY.

MY CONTRIBUTION IS TWO-FOLD -- TO CREATE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE LIVING AFTER I'M GONE, OR I'M NOT PART OF IT SO IT CAN BE RETURNED TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND AT THE SAME TIME RECLAIM AN ICON FROM WHAT IT HAS BEEN DEPICTED NOW AS.

Man: YO, MAN, YOU THINK IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TODAY?

Man #2: I HOPE SO.

Man #3: HEY, GUY, GERALD'S BEEN HERE ALL DAY.

IS IT GOING TO HAPPEN SOON?

Man #1: MAYBE.

Man #4: WHAT YOU GUYS DOING?

Man #2: WELL, WE'RE JUST WAITING FOR IT TO HAPPEN.

Man #4: COME ON, GUYS, YOU GOT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.

Man #3: HERE WE GO.

Man #2: GERALD, YOU'RE THE HARDEST WORKING MAN AROUND.

HOW IS IT TODAY?

Man: MAN, I AM ONE HAPPY ASS.

BIG FAT WORMS TO SORT FOR ALL THOSE RICH PEOPLE'S DELICATE ROSES.

Man: FADE IN TO BLACK.

Chin: MAKING ART, I THINK, IS NOT ABOUT ONE TRACK, NOT ONE METHOD, BUT THE DIVERSITY OF MEDIUMS AND TECHNIQUES IS MINOR.

BUT THE DIVERSITY OF IDEAS AND HOW THEY SURVIVE AND THE METHODS THEY ARE TRANSMITTED IS VERY IMPORTANT.

"KNOWMAD" IS A VIDEO GAME THAT YOU SIT DOWN, AND YOU DRIVE THROUGH 36 TRIBAL CARPETS THAT WERE SELECTED BASED ON A MAPPING OF TRIBES THAT EXIST IN TURKEY, OR ANATOLIA, IN IRAN AND AFGHANISTAN.

TRIBAL CULTURES ARE DYING, AS WE KNOW, OR AS WE HAVE KNOWN THEM, AFTER EXISTING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

VIDEO GAME CULTURE IS THRIVING, OVERTAKING HOLLYWOOD IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH MONEY IT BRINGS IN.

PERHAPS IN A VIDEO GAME, IT CAN DRIVE YOU INTO A PLACE, A CURIOUS PLACE, WHERE YOU MIGHT ASK THE QUESTION, "WHERE DID THESE PATTERNS COME FROM?"

IT FELT LIKE TO HAVE THE INSTALLATION OCCUR WITH THE REAL TRIBAL RUGS WAS A WAY OF ALLOWING PERIPHERAL INFORMATION TO FLOAT BACK INTO YOUR HEAD AS YOU WOULD TURN AWAY FROM THE GAME.

THERE'S A REAL WORLD OF RUGS AND PEOPLE THERE AS WELL.

THAT'S A PRAYER RUG, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IT'S POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION -- EAST.

IT'S CREATING A LAYERED ENVIRONMENT.

Man: ORIGINALLY, MEL KIND OF GAVE US THE CONCEPT OF WHAT TO DO AND THE WHOLE DRIVING GAME ASPECT AND STUFF.

ONLY HE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT ALL IT WAS GOING TO ENTAIL.

HALF-WAY.

Man: HE GAVE US SPECIFIC RUGS THAT HE WANTED US TO USE, AND USING SOFTWARE WE DEVELOPED SORT OF THESE ABSTRACT OBSTACLE COURSES.

THIS GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST SORT OF MAKE THESE ABSTRACT, COLORFUL, MAKE-BELIEVE WORLDS WHERE THERE REALLY WAS NO RULES OTHER THAN JUST SORT OF RESPECT THE SYMBOLISM AND THE PATTERNS IN THE CARPET AND JUST KIND OF GO CRAZY FROM THERE.

Chin: I WANTED TO LIMIT MY INFLUENCE.

RATHER THAN SAYING, "IT HAS TO BE THIS, THIS, AND THIS," I SAID, "SORT OF SEE THIS, BUT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE HELD TO THAT."

BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE ART, IT SHOULD BE LIBERATING.

MY THOUGHTS IN THE OBJECTS I MAKE OR HAVE MADE HAVE BEEN A COLLECTION OF IDEAS THAT HAVE COME FROM OTHERS AS WELL.

PART OF THE ART IS CREATING THE FORM FOR THIS NEW INVENTION TO OCCUR.

KNOWMAD IS A DIGITAL RE-WEAVE OF PATTERNS THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS THAT WE MAY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

BUT PERHAPS IN A VIDEO GAME, WE MIGHT HAVE THAT, AGAIN, THE DESIRE TO RESPECT WHAT THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN, MORE THAN JUST DECORATION.

BECAUSE THEY ARE ABOUT PEOPLE.

"REVIVAL FIELD" IS A SIMPLE SCULPTURE THAT HAS THIS POETIC PREMISE.

IN MICHELANGELO'S DAYS, HE WOULD HAVE A BLOCK OF MARBLE, AND HE WOULD HAVE AN IMAGE IN HIS MIND, INCREDIBLE IMAGES IN HIS MIND, AND HE WOULD TAKE THE CHISEL AND CARVE AWAY UNTIL WE SEE SOMETHING AS REMARKABLE AS "DAVID."

IN OUR CONTEMPORARY TIMES, OUR MATERIALS HAVE CHANGED.

OUR MATERIALS ARE STILL MARBLE, BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE... STUFF THAT WE'VE NEVER DREAMED OF USING.

IN THIS CASE, TOXIC EARTH.

IT IS THE SCULPTING OF AN ECOLOGY FROM ONE NEAR DEATH, OR ONE THAT IS DECAYED OR DEAD, INTO ONE THAT IS LIVING.

Narrator: THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE HAS BEEN DEEPLY AFFECTED BY INDUSTRY.

THE SMELTING OF METALS, SUCH AS ZINC, CADMIUM, LEAD, AND COPPER, PRODUCES PARTICULATES, SOMETIMES INVISIBLE TO THE EYE, WHICH CONTAMINATE THE ENVIRONMENT.

THESE METAL PARTICULATES WEAKEN AND DESTROY MANY FORMS OF LIFE.

LONG AFTER THE SMELTING IS COMPLETE, POLLUTION REMAINS IN THE SOIL.

THERE HAVE BEEN NO VIABLE SOLUTIONS TO THIS PROBLEM, UNTIL THE "REVIVAL FIELD" PROJECT, WHICH PROVED AN EXISTING THEORY.

SPECIAL PLANTS CALLED HYPERACCUMULATORS ARE INTRODUCED INTO THE BARREN LANDSCAPE.

THE METAL IN THE SOIL WOULD KILL MOST PLANTS, BUT THE HYPERACCUMULATORS THRIVE, PULLING THE METALS INTO THEIR STEMS AND SHOOTS.

WHEN THE PLANTS MATURE, THEY ARE HARVESTED.

THE PLANTS ARE THEN BURNED IN RECLAIMING FURNACES.

THIS PROCESS YIELDS METAL PURER THAN HIGH-GRADE ORE, WHICH CAN BE RESOLD.

THE CONTINUATION OF THIS PROCESS CLEANS THE SOIL AND ALLOWS LIFE TO RETURN TO THE ENVIRONMENT.

THIS RENEWED ECOLOGY IS THE COMPLETION OF A WORK OF ART.

Chin: I DON'T GO ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE A SCIENCE/ART PROJECT OR ANYTHING, OR POLITICAL PROJECT.

I THINK IT HAS TO BE DRIVEN BY SOME KIND OF POETRY.

THAT POETRY OF PLANTS HAVING THE CAPACITY TO TRANSFORM A SYSTEM WAS AMAZING ENOUGH, AND IT WAS ALSO DRIVEN BY PRAGMATISM.

I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE BOTH.

IT HAS A LITTLE RED CAST IN IT, AT THE BASE.

BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS...

IN THIS WORLD, THERE ARE CULTURES DYING... AND SOME CULTURES THRIVING.

THERE ARE SOILS THAT ARE DEAD THAT CAN BE REBORN WITH THE HELP OF A WORK OF ART.

THERE ARE NEIGHBORHOODS, THEY TELL US, THAT ARE DYING...

BUT INSTEAD THEY ARE INSPIRING.

WE ASSUME THAT WE ARE LIVING IN A CULTURE OF CONSUMPTION... THAT TELLS US WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT TO FEAR.

BUT IT'S NOT ALL THAT.

ART FOR THE 21st CENTURY IS THE SAME AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN -- IT IS NEVER THE SAME.

YOU KNOW, NORMALLY I LIKE TO USE ARTIFICIAL.

BUT IF I'M GOING AFTER THAT BIG LUNKER, OR THAT ORNERY WALL-EYED PIKE UP HERE IN THE GREAT LAKE, I LIKE TO USE THE BIGGEST, BADDEST WORM OF THEM ALL -- DEVIL'S NIGHTCRAWLERS, DIRECT FROM DETROIT CITY.

THESE WORMS WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY WITH ALL THE FISH YOU GONNA CATCH.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?

DEVIL'S NIGHTCRAWLERS, THE MOTOWN WORM.

GUARANTEED TO CATCH YOU MO' FISH, GIVE YOU MO' ACTION THAN ANY WORM AROUND.

DEVIL'S NIGHTCRAWLERS, HOME-GROWN IN EAST SIDE DETROIT.

Woman: ART FOR FUN, SOMETIMES IT IS FUN.

Man: AS AN ARTIST, YOU GO IN TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE.

Woman: IF THIS DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, I HAVE FAILED.

Woman: IF THIS DOESN'T TOUCH YOU, I HAVE FAILED.

TO ORDER A TWO-TAPE SET OF "ART 21: ART IN THE 21st CENTURY" ON VIDEOCASSETTE, OR THE COMPANION BOOK TO THE PROGRAM, CALL PBS HOME VIDEO AT 1-800-PLAY-PBS.

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