Nancy Holt, Tour of the John Weber Gallery, 1972

Transcription details:

Title: Tour of the John Weber Gallery, 1972
Date: May 11, 2023
Transcribed by: Transcribe Me
Copy edited: Lisa Le Feuvre, May 11, 2023
Input sound file: Holt-Weber_Gallery_Tour.mp3

Transcription:

00:00

You are about to begin a tour of selected sites visible both inside and outside of the gallery space. Now, look at your tape recorder. It is a Lafayette cassette recorder made of gray and black plastic. The central rotary switch is stainless steel and stops and plays the tape. The volume is controlled by the round black knob on the right. The red button on the left should not be touched. On the table, in front of you, is a clock and probably several tape recorders. Now turn around about face. The office door is ahead of you. Now, walk four paces, one, two, three, four, and stop. You are now just outside of the door in the main gallery space. In front of you, running almost the whole length of the room, is Brenda Miller's work, Aliquot, made of sisal twine. To your left is a window. Turn left. Walk nine paces, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, to the window. Looking straight down, you will see a radiator cover, which runs the length of the room, about one and a half feet beneath the windows. Rows of slits are interrupted by smooth areas with hinged lids. Now look at the outside frame of the window. The inner part is wood painted beige. The outer part is cement. Drippings of light green paint can be seen on the cement sill. Directly opposite you is a six-story red brick building. The ground floor is used by the Crosby Paper stock and waste sales corporation. Two elaborately ornamented wrought iron fire escapes and two shaft ways go up and down the facade of this building.

01:58

Above and between the windows on the right side of the third floor are three iron stars. On the ground is a garage platform with four steps on either side. To the left of this building is a light brick building. On the ground floor is the gallery stop restaurant, painted yellow and brown. There are many plants growing in the window. The lower edge of a red neon sign is visible beneath the metal canopy. Many windows in this building are heavily ornamented. Two iron fire escapes, painted brown, go up and down the facade of this building also. Air conditioners poke out of many windows. Several aerials project from the roof. Now, turn right. Ahead of you is East Locator made of black steel pipe. Walk straight ahead nine paces, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, to East Locator. This locator, together with West Locator across the gallery space, form one of my works. Now, look through it towards the interior of the room. You will see West Locator. Now, look through it the other way, out the window. You will see four windows of the loft building across the street. Looking now to your right, you will see a sign announcing this tour. Now, turn right and walk five paces, one, two, three, four, five. Stop. Turn left and walk two paces. One, two, to the window. You will notice that the window frame is painted white and that there are four panes of glass. A white Venetian blind lies folded at the top of the window space.

03:55

You are facing east. The street below is West Broadway. Directly opposite you is a one-story red brick garage with 417 painted and circled in white to the right of the garage door. Over the door is a long polygonal overhang. The bricks in the last row along the edge of the top of the building are light tan. The ones in the middle protrude above the ones on the sides. On the roof of the garage are two small skylights covered over with tarpaulin and tied with string and a gray flue which narrows two- thirds of the way up. Also visible, is a very thin, rusty pipe, which is attached to the brick wall of the building next to it. This wall and the brick wall of the other adjoining building rise up five floors above the garage roof on each side. In the back of the garage, is a loft building with six stories visible. In all, six windows are closed over with green shutters. Silver material hangs in two other windows, three stories down. A fire escape goes down the right side of the building. Looking up now, a water tower can be seen, secured by steel beams to the roof. A television aerial is on the left edge. Cloud formations if present, and the sky, can now be viewed. Now, look at the top of the brick building on the right. The date 1892 is embossed in a brick and cement protrusion. The bricks along the edge are placed in square geometrical patterns. On the street level, the facade is painted green. Now, turn around, about face. You should now be facing the interior of the room. Walk three paces, one, two, three, and stop. Turn left. In front of you, you will see a stainless-steel elevator button with a green arrow above it and a red arrow below.

05:57

Two screws keep the unit in place. Also in front of you is a black Formica cube, usually, with a guest book on top. If you look to your left, you will see the elevator door, which slides open in two parts. Now, turn right. In front of you is a work by Laurie James called Scaffold Boards: Four Variations. It is a pulley system that you can manipulate. Along the left wall are paintings by Mary Obering. On the wall, at the far end of the room, are three windows. Walk to the last window on the left, about 26 paces, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26. You will note that this window differs from the one you previously looked through. It has 12 instead of 4 panes of glass. And on the outside of the window, are eight steel bars painted dull orange. If you bend over a little, you will see that there are three skylights of equal size on the roof below, each having three panes of frosted and wired glass held in place by a metal frame painted aluminium. A design of rectangular zigzags, possibly a burglar alarm, goes up and down the windowpanes. In the far-left corner of the roof are two vents, each curving 270 degrees around. In back of these vents is a small window which has been cut down from a larger window. A similar cutting down of a window has occurred on the top floor. Black metal bars cover these windows. As you look even higher, you will see, in the right corner, a large brick chimney painted white like the rest of the building. The bricks and the chimney form a stepped pattern in a three-three-two series. On the left side of the roof is a television antenna, which is up against a wire fence.

07:57

A smaller antenna is visible a few feet in back of it. On your left is a red brick building with a large polygonal chimney going up the side. The dark metal strips encompass the chimney at each floor. The exterior window frames of this building are painted green. Two clothes lines are attached to the second window down. You are now finished looking out of this window. Now, turn right. Ahead of you is West Locator. Walk eight paces, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Looking through it, the locator, toward the interior, you will see East Locator. Looking through the other way, a steel bar divides your circumscribed vision. Behind it are the white bricks of this building. Now, stand facing the room with a locator on your right. You will notice that the floor is made of dark stained wood and is highly glossed. Looking up, you will see that the ceiling is supported every foot or so by wood planks, which are in turn supported by a large central beam which runs down the center of the gallery. It, in turn, is supported by four cylindrical pillars. Ceiling and walls are painted white. Three pipes of the sprinkler system run the length of the gallery. There are a total of 25 sprinkler valves protruding up out of the white pipes. A larger pipe crosses the width of the room, connecting the three long pipes. Two tracks of sliding spotlights, 19 in all, are also on the ceiling. Now, turn left. Walk seven paces, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and turn left. You will be looking into the smaller back room of the gallery.

09:57

Six works by Carl Andre are on the floor. You will not enter this room. Now, turn around, about face. Walk four paces, one, two, three, four, and turn left. Above you on the right is a red light in front of an exit sign over a door with a steel draw bar. Turn right. Walk 12 paces, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Turn left. In front of you is the window into John Weber's office. It is made of a single sheet of glass going from floor to ceiling beam. Among the things in this office are a glass coffee table, two chairs, and a sofa. Now, turn right. Walk three paces, one, two, three, and turn left. Walk three more paces, one, two, three. You are now in the office. Your Tour is now completed. Turn the central switch of your tape recorder to the stop position and place the tape recorder on the table to your right. Thank you. Five, six, seven. Looking left, you will see a smaller back room. Six works by Carl Andre on the floor. Do not enter this room. Now, turn right. Walk four paces, one, two, three, four, and stop. Then, turn left. Above you on the right is a red light in front of an exit sign, over a door with a steel draw bar. Now, turn right.

11:56

Walk 12 paces. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Turn left. In front of you is the window into John Weber's office. It is made of a single sheet of glass going from floor to ceiling beam. Among the things in this office are a glass coffee table, two chairs, and a sofa. Now, turn right. Walk three paces, one, two, three, and turn left. Walk three more paces, one, two, three. You are now in the office. On your right, you will see a black top table. This is where you are to place your tape recorder after you have turned the central switch to the stop position. Your Tour is now completed.

Thank you.