Perhaps some of you may remember the famous Gummi Bear Chandalier by YaYa Chou shown at Gallery Revisited...
I had it on display here at this gallery location when I inaugurated the space February
2006, then it stayed on for the 2 person show she had with Katy Bowen. (March 2006)
Since that time, the chandelier has traveled to be a part of group shows, and has been in Sculpture Magazine, and more recently several blogs:
Makezine
Candy Addict
Boing Boing
Ya Ya has her own blog too....where she explains the archival and lasting quality of the Gummi Bears.
A recent new development has been revealed in the life of gummi longevity.
They do not survive chemical spraying.
I repeat: Do not spray or coat the Gummi with lacquer or anything.
Notice in the attached picture that these Gummis are cloudy and white looking, flaky and unappetizing - colors dull, surface ugly.
These Gummis are the same age as Gummi Chandelier.
The experiment of spraying these Gummis came about to satisfy the needs of worried Gummi Art Viewers here at the gallery. In addition to wondering about the longevity and "archival quality" of the Gummis, People really wanted to squeeze them...to touch the art. Being that this is a "No-No", Miss Ya Ya brought in these remnant Gummis on a wire that I could hand to gallery visitors for them to squish.
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They were often surprised to feel that the Gummis had merely hardened. In addition, the remnants had been sprayed in order to satisfy the masses who worry about vermine** nibbling on it.
One year later, we see that the remnant Gummis did not survive. But the Chandelier did/has.
A recent report has noted that the green gummi is not as vibrant as it used to be, but the whole thing is still pretty nonetheless.
Now that you know no one will eat it, won't you consider supporting the arts with a new acquisition for your collection? A Gummi Bear Chandalier...or perhaps a rug??
