RB: Yes. That was very important. Being in the theater and getting caught up, losing yourself in these images and the light, and just being a part of it, and then at the end the lights came up, and it was all over. MW:
So very spatial, and also very temporal or durational.
RB:
Yes, absolutely.
MW: And I think the Electromagnetic Energy Field and Carrier Wave Pieces and even the Inert Gas Series (see fig. 2), which are often discussed in terms of immateriality but, there’s always a key component of time in those that I think isn’t considered enough. RB:
Absolutely.
MW:
Why did you choose the noble gases; why inert gases?
RB: I just remembered them, to tell you the truth. They were called the noble gases. They were taught in high school, and I remembered that. It was somehow in the back of my mind. I read something that mentioned that the Greek names—neon, xenon, and so on—mean something different. Neon is derived from new; xenon is derived from strange; krypton is MW: derived from mystery. RB: There you go. Perfect. Can you make a work of art out of mystery? It seemed to me that that was a pretty good idea, if you can do it. I think an artist’s style is very important. And it’s not just the way something looks—everything about it is a style. What you can see and what you can’t see, what isn’t evident right away until you dig under the surface and discover various meanings underneath. That is when it becomes important. And, it was a natural progression from the electronics and radio waves to the inert gas or telepathic
ROBERT BARRY ALL THE THINGS I KNOW...
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