annemmu
Bookcase installation mock-up
This was a site specific installation I did a couple of years ago as part of a Uni art course, based on the idea of a Wunderkammer. The bookcase was borrowed, the books (all mine) represent knowledge. The top 2 shelves are classical references: the old wooden Acanthus column tops (from Ebay) made from teak which is now a protected species, the bust (£1 from the market) the antique clock (inherited) and my collection of Penguin classic books.Traditional art training was based on drawing classical sculptures, and a thorough grasp of techniques.
The left half of the second row has a ball and a glove referencing a de Chirico painting (he also made classical references).
On the third row, the empty shelf represents the lack of knowledge, the absence of skill training, and the lack of tools and equipment on the art course at Uni. The chicken wire across the front places a barrier across the knowledge making it impossible to access.
The piece was borne out of frustration at the state of art training at the institution. They had even forgotten to renew the sculpture tutor's contract so there was no leader of that strand to the course.
I installed it at the Uni and used stones to hold down the wire netting (as in old vernacular buildings in Japan), signifying the primitive techniques, and replaced the red glove with a pink rubber glove - much scrubbing of floors etc had been involved in the show as they had no budget to pay the cleaners.
The irony is that the installation is all done by stacking - no screws were even involved in the assembly of the bookcase. Stacking was the form of sculpture promoted by the Uni in the absence of skills and equipment.
Bookcase installation mock-up
This was a site specific installation I did a couple of years ago as part of a Uni art course, based on the idea of a Wunderkammer. The bookcase was borrowed, the books (all mine) represent knowledge. The top 2 shelves are classical references: the old wooden Acanthus column tops (from Ebay) made from teak which is now a protected species, the bust (£1 from the market) the antique clock (inherited) and my collection of Penguin classic books.Traditional art training was based on drawing classical sculptures, and a thorough grasp of techniques.
The left half of the second row has a ball and a glove referencing a de Chirico painting (he also made classical references).
On the third row, the empty shelf represents the lack of knowledge, the absence of skill training, and the lack of tools and equipment on the art course at Uni. The chicken wire across the front places a barrier across the knowledge making it impossible to access.
The piece was borne out of frustration at the state of art training at the institution. They had even forgotten to renew the sculpture tutor's contract so there was no leader of that strand to the course.
I installed it at the Uni and used stones to hold down the wire netting (as in old vernacular buildings in Japan), signifying the primitive techniques, and replaced the red glove with a pink rubber glove - much scrubbing of floors etc had been involved in the show as they had no budget to pay the cleaners.
The irony is that the installation is all done by stacking - no screws were even involved in the assembly of the bookcase. Stacking was the form of sculpture promoted by the Uni in the absence of skills and equipment.