Over the spring and summer, Eric McMaster, an Associate Professor of Practice in Studio Art, had a solo exhibition, Compressions, on view at the Blanton Museum of Art. The show explored the protocols that govern various sports by manipulating, isolating, or restricting the rules and conditions that determine athletes’ movements.
In A Change of Atmosphere (2015), a gymnast performs his pommel horse routine underwater, struggling with the awkwardness of breathing and the challenge of buoyancy rather than gravity. The Obstruction of Action by the Presence of Order (2012–13) appropriates footage from the 2012 Summer Olympics of athletes awaiting the signal to perform. The Obstruction of Action by the Existence of Form (2012–13) places two hockey teams in a custom rink a fraction of regulation size, forcing them to play shoulder to shoulder.
Sports-outlet Defector reviewed the show, discussing its recontextualization of sports, specifically looking at the pieceThe Obstruction of Action by the Existence of Form. The author, Lauren Theisen wanted to know "What Makes Hockey Hockey?" and how does Eric's reimagining of the space change its meaning. Read the full article here.