Sat. Jan. 3 & Sun.  Jan. 4

We've not had a person-to-person conversation with artist Tara Donovan, but we did an email interview with the New York-based artist, who has an exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art. (The interview was for the fall preview section of the  Improper Bostonian's Fall Preview issue). She can talk - or write, as the case may be - extensively and in great detail about her work.) Donovan - who works with everyday materials - toothpicks, buttons, plastic cups - and then creates something strange and other-worldly about them.. Tickets; $12. The 18-piece exhibit - includingn a new installation created for the ICA exhibit - closes after Jan. 4. For an out-take of the interview we did with Donovan, 38, hit "read more"Q: You've called your art "site-responsive." What does that mean and how will it pertain at the ICA?
A: The reason I use the term “site-responsive” to describe the relationship between a project and the space it inhabits.  All of the factors influencing our perception of an object change when that object is placed in a different environment.  The idiosyncratic nature of my work, along with my intention to construct a “field” of visual activity, allow each sightline to offer something new or unexpected to the viewer I feel it expresses most succinctly how my work relates to spaces. Most of these pieces have been shown in other spaces where they took on particular forms as a result of the particular architecture of the space.  The amount of light (whether it is natural or artificial), the available square footage, and even the color of the floors and walls all contribute to the specific presentation of a work in the space.  Because these environmental factors affect the way people see objects in space, my work changes with each new manifestation.