Onset of Turbulence (#9) 1989 - 1990

Curator: Mel Bochner's "Onset of Turbulence (#9)" presents an array of hazy, chalky cubes adrift on what appears to be a blackboard surface. Editor: It's immediately striking—the way the cubes seem to be caught in some unseen current, smudged and indistinct against the stark black. Curator: Bochner often challenges traditional notions of mathematical systems and their visual representation. The blackboard, a tool of instruction, here becomes a site of artistic exploration. Editor: The use of chalk is key. It's so ephemeral, easily erased, suggesting the constant flux that the title implies, that turbulence. It also flattens the image and draws attention to the surface. Curator: Indeed. Bochner's work often investigates the nature of perception and how we construct meaning from the materials at hand. The turbulence suggests that the pursuit of knowledge is far from a linear process. Editor: For me, it's how he elevates humble materials to this level of abstraction, making us rethink the link between the medium and the message. Curator: I appreciate how this piece reminds us that even seemingly rigid systems can be subject to disorder and change. Editor: And that sometimes, the most profound ideas are scrawled in chalk on a board.