Water Stone, 1987-Installing Isamu Noguchi's Iconic Sculpture | From the Vaults

[@shadowraith1]

Temper followed by comfort. Brilliant.

[@herelieskittythomas3726]

It's the same way I teach. Aftercare is essential for any student that experiences the ruler.

[@traumatizedmacasio8682]

Ike

[@mwilson1964]

This is my husband's favorite thing at the Met. I love him regardless.

[@RichMitch]

"Don't try to do too much" Words to live by

[@madLphnt]

Never forget that the value of the cup is in its emptiness.

[@RichMitch]

@@madLphnt 🙏

[@Johnconno]

One must become like water.😂

[@henchmanb]

"it has to be perfectly leveled" *Brings 1.5' level*

[@someonesomething]

and then says "imperfection is whats important" :D

[@HannyDart]

what do you expect, its the usa after all

[@theotherserge]

A perfectly flat surface, if it so, could just use a torpedo level.

[@Keechization]

there are 8 inch levels that are accurate to 20 arc seconds, longer levels don't mean they're more accurate

[@sp10sn]

@@Keechization interesting

[@KitchenerLeslie2]

Isamu Noguchi: Imperfection better than perfection... Guy hoisting and moving the rock 18 times: da fuck he say?

[@canlong9603]

To the end, a person can only achieve 99%, none can reach 100%. The lost part is somewhat the nature's will.

[@airmark02]

& the sacred rocks from Bla Bla Bla River in Japan being tossed in a pile ... Lol. I love philosophical contrast don't you ?

[@noahnipperus7320]

@@canlong9603 You almost have it right, I think?! The astonishing thing about art is that anyone can achieve 101% One must include the flexibility to allow a plan to be better than One imagined

[@noahnipperus7320]

To integrate into your plan from the beginning the trust in Nature's Will

[@BlackTheSheep]

Perfectly imbalanced, you could say.

[@reiowa9150]

his frustrations are justified! the top of the supporting stones being perfectly level basically upholds the central theme of this work

[@jr3002]

That was a lovely film about process. Thanks to The Met for posting this gem.

[@metmuseum]

Thanks for watching!

[@noahstephens7622]

It’s volcanic rock, not a gem.

[@itzybitzyspyder]

@@noahstephens7622 *igneous

[@zaxmaxlax]

What am I doing with my life? It's 3am and I'm watching a bunch of men leveling a rock for 10 minutes.

[@seshmarls]

Go watch videos on surface plates see old gray beards make stones flatter then you might imagine

[@shilohstore6086]

4:45 and same

[@robertafierro5592]

You're not wasting this time. Time is valuable.

[@trje246]

The rock must be excited to get _so much attention_ after waiting 4.5 billion years

[@greateagle8799]

Sounds like a really cool twilight zone episode

[@LalitoTV]

Every single shot of the rock looks like an album cover

[@nosferatu9940]

this is one of the most beautiful videos on youtube

[@DannoHung]

For something that looks so unremarkable at first blush, it comes alive in quite a lovely way with the ebb and flow of the water.

[@nikbuckingham1132]

Like a bathroom floor.

[@IHWKR]

Says imperfections is better than perfection only after 7 hours to get it perfectly level.

[@DirtyRobot]

Nature can take millions of years to achieve the same outcome. Millions of years for imperfection.

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

Lolz

[@daktarioskarvannederhosen2568]

@@beckspace safety???

[@amplituhedron5582]

it has to be well balanced so water flows equally from all sides. that 1 ton rock isn't going anywhere once is on the floor

[@autismandy3050]

Artists = Frauds

[@kazikian]

Human beings are such interesting creatures.

[@RonaldWilkinson-lm4yw]

I'm not interesting.

[@rr7firefly]

An artist who demands perfection. I like that Noguchi brought along his professional entourage to reinforce him in the sensitive negotiation of the installation. It's interesting that he speaks about the imperfection of nature once the piece is fully installed.

[@CaptainCataractss]

Wabi sabi

[@AndyCutright]

Rick: "You think you know level? I'll show you level!"

[@avatar1867]

Mood

[@petrektek1385]

You won.

[@doctoroctos]

that quote is exactly what entered my mind

[@Michael62nyc]

I love this piece. Seek it out when you visit the Met.

[@rstyknfe]

6:51 "We have plenty of imperfection around here" she says while looking at the other gal. Brutal.

[@TicoMachi]

Glad I wasn't the only one who caught that passive aggressive comment. She looked so salty during the whole installation.

[@kwinaois]

He passed away the very following year in 1988, at the age of 84.

[@62mer]

This was such an interesting watch. Thank you for sharing!

[@JulianMakes]

“So that it’s flat top would be perfectly level with the centre of the earth”... oh you mean level then...

[@iambrian769]

Very refreshing. Watching from the Caribbean 🇻🇨 5.26.21

[@leonardoluc6362]

The man Isamu Noguchi is a genius

[@Automedon2]

If I had that in my house, I would have no furniture - just this one incredible thing

[@luciferslettuce]

Have you ever been to a house with very little or no furniture? Those people are always the weirdest, probably sleep without sheets on their beds! Lol

[@MixMastaCopyCat]

@guyontheblackchair On the floor by the rock I reckon

[@thomaskuan4262]

Imperfection is better than perfection. I wrote that in every exam I sat in. Now I m chiseling rocks in quarry for a living under falling rain.

[@craigkeller]

Hypnotic. Beautiful.

[@JBN1983]

Sculptor: "And if you don't mind my taking some of these out..." Then he proceeds to empty the whole bag, lol.

[@alternateVSNS]

4:38 when Noguchi's glasses slipped out of his pocket ! a problem every person with glasses faces, even masters like him

[@gerry343]

I think they should have had a few more people there to help with the installation.

[@noordholland648]

Hey Gerry! where is your profile picture from?

[@oliverkat]

@@noordholland648 paint

[@noordholland648]

@@oliverkat que?

[@andrewb9302]

Spends 7 hours getting one rock perfectly level. 2 seconds later, “imperfection is better than perfection”

[@masonreeves4775]

Perfectly balanced. Like all things should be.

[@zacharywolter]

The originator of "Get on my level."

[@arymonem]

Very cool! Simplicity is all I need.

[@anthonymorales842]

That's one famous level now.

[@sharksport01]

I like his smooth organic work over the angular.

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

beautiful

[@theunknowngamer5477]

I remember seeing a sculpture of water, made from glass. The thing seemed to be around 3' square, mostly square. It represented the three physical/ molecular "kinds" OF water...liquid, solid and gas. Have I imagined this?

[@johnjacop]

I mean you would think a 4 ft level would come in handy more to have it stretch across, but I guess the 2 ft level worked out fine in the end.

[@7777roxanne]

Beautiful and calming.

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

Wonder what he'd think of the creation process of telescopic mirrors spun to tolerances of a single molecule.

[@ShredCo]

Meh.

[@bluesandroots2008]

I think those interested in zen or tea ceremonies would be thinking about the story of Sen no Rikyu and his disciple that took place during 16th century Japan. The disciple was asked to clean the garden perfectly before the guests arrived, yet seeing the flawlessly cleaned teien, Rikyu added some leaves to blend it into the exterior. I’ve thought this story to mean, we need to leave some space for imperfection to let nature do the rest. I know the story sounds a little highbrow because it comes from feudal Japan, but I don’t mind seeing one of the great sculptors of the 20th century leave some maxims before passing.

[@jerkq]

This is absolutely one of my favorite pieces in the Met. Thanks for this story about it!

[@metmuseum]

Thanks for your comment, glad you enjoyed!

[@ConstantThrowing]

We get it, sound mixer. The stones were loud.

[@weezypeezy1725]

Bro it was like the 70s-80s, there was barely any mixing

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

Cool, really interesting to see!

[@c.c.s.1102]

I have never seen him in color his eyes are brilliant blue

[@FixedFace]

"look im helping" half of the guys fumbling around

[@thiscorrosion900]

Just visited the Noguchi Museum last Wed. So, is the outdoor garden water stone a sister piece to this one? Also, how is the water reclaimed in the installation, by a basic recirc. pump/lift? There are also a few smaller stone pieces in the garden at the museum, with perfect circle openings cut in them to catch water, but, they aren't fountains, they just catch rain water.

[@dw6nvf]

He had a clear vision of his art unlike some other “artist” that share a vague vision and let their team do the rest

[@keremkandemir7833]

Adorable dedication...

[@weezypeezy1725]

I love this video is getting tons of views randomly today

[@taylorconditi5661]

praise the algorithm gods

[@SpottedBullet]

That was great, thanks!

[@rrsee-zk3zu]

Wait I think we have this sculpture or similar to this in our office in Manila!

[@troygaspard6732]

The price of working with a genius.

[@l3vin256]

I truly need to go to the cr after watching this

[@sarcasmo57]

Cool birdbath.

[@TheSuperCommentGuy]

Oh yeah I saw this in the Met, cool to know the story behind it.

[@shilohstore6086]

This was a wonderful film about how they didn't have to worry about headphone users!

[@strangevisions5162]

"A true master will expend no effort to accomplish goals"

[@CountDoucheula]

Of course. You get 12 guys with a chain winch to expend the effort

[@newrev9er]

I can't tell if you're calling the artist lazy, or if you don't understand the meaning of "expend."

[@robertafierro5592]

These people in the suits ought to stop arguing with the artist! He knows EXACTLY what he's doing!

[@milenaflores1535]

Beautiful!

[@polyesterdreamboat]

Ironically, this video was stressful to watch

[@liammurphy2725]

Snowflake?

[@jaketwigg1065]

@@liammurphy2725 I bet 100 dollars you like Joe Rogan

[@milli2901]

Amazing shots

[@Sarahhannahtx]

Beautiful

[@aw299]

Humanity will never be the same again after this. I still can’t believe it.

[@theunknown4209]

could they found a shorter level

[@TheSunshineGroup]

6:30 "we can, but dont try to do too much, don't try to make it perfect"

[@marzdesign7562]

Beautifull. Very nice shots.

[@emresessiz1234]

Super 👏

[@golgumbazguide...4113]

Explore Golgumbaz, Bijapur, South India 🇮🇳

[@ArcadeReplay]

Rock solid art

[@kurtusky13]

You think they would use something a little larger than a 2 foot level

[@edstud1]

And it looked like one from walmart!

[@jkickass]

why didnt they use set screws

[@valuchinn]

Amazing!

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

Well it's certainly a piece of rock

[@DoctorSess]

Yeah, real cool 🙄

[@Cchogan]

Watching the water flow out with his little imperfections is a lovely, practical example of Choas Theory. (Is that still a thing?)

[@pjacobsen1000]

I don't think Choas Theory is a thing, but Chaos Theory is.

[@Cchogan]

@@pjacobsen1000 - Ah, perhaps one is a chaotic variant of the other! Perhaps every time I type cohas theroy it will be different...

[@pjacobsen1000]

@@Cchogan Don't be shoac'd when you get it right.

[@papayaman78]

Looks like that old guy in the wheelchair from Breaking Bad. Lol

[@ArtHistorywithAlder]

😂

[@2FaceTube]

He made them move the rock 18 times to get it perfectly leveled and then, when that lady tells him that the water doesn't flow evenly in all directions he replied: ''don't try to make it all perfect, imperfection it's what's important''. x'DDDDD

[@nelsonx5326]

Cool.

[@BartWindrum]

Interesting that they didn't use 3 levels concurrently.

[@shilohstore6086]

3:25 this could have been a live performance installation of economic class

[@gvkl09palakkad]

Nice!

[@cptairwolf]

Looks like the kind of centerpiece you'd find in a Hollywood villains lair lol

[@slimnooze]

It happens the same whenever I forget to shut the bathtub faucet....

[@wnfernand]

Asymmetry rather than imperfection

[@arthurmorganclips6706]

Trust the process

[@jackfrenchpresents]

Imagine taking in some dishwashing liquid and absolutely ruining that surface tension

[@anikidwolfy]

6 months later, needed reajustment.

[@saad3677]

Hector Salamanca! 😂😂😂

[@edwardssistershands]

All that fuss and they are using a bubble level. Get an inclinometer ffs!

[@thomasdykstra100]

"How many people does it take to 'set' a Noguchi fountain?" Anybody's guess...

[@kendousyounen]

イサムノグチが日本語喋るの初めてみたかも

[@panchovargas3398]

But what was the ph tho? Lol

[@metmuseum]

Lol, not sure.

[@itzybitzyspyder]

People are the worst tools for a creative mind to deal with.

[@karlallspach5309]

This would make a great Tik Tok.

[@indaputindina5835]

Gravitograf*exelent

[@hikerjoe3773]

Makes me want to go to the loo. For a number one and two.

[@sladeb6036]

I like that.

[@marcopaci1076]

So spiritual.

[@steveogle3679]

If you cant do it right don't bother. I feel Noguchi's pain.

[@jepanlife5627]

or open the faucet a bit more to cover the imperfection lol

[@976charlie9]

Just shim it with a dam book and call it a day!

[@gretchenbockenfeld]

Why today? Algorithm weird.