Questions to an unspecified object
Untitled
A steel plate measuring 62 cm by 31 cm is fixed to a wall at eye level. The surface is scratched and dull. A sequence of lines are etched into it in a semicircular formation, emanating from a single point, 3 millimetres in from the centre of its left edge. The first is 30cm long and straight. Following in a clockwise direction, the next is also 30cm but with a single kink. The next is identical to the previous but has an additional kink. The pattern continues with each score becoming slightly more degraded than its predecessor. Large areas of empty space have formed further into the image by drastic changes of the line. To the right of the bottom edge is a concentrated number of small vertical marks. A thick sheet of white paper, identical in size hangs directly to the left of the metal plate. Upon it is a mirror image of the markings etched into the steel, delineated in black ink.
Is it original?
Yes. While it composed of discrete found objects or materials, the configuration of these elements here create an original entity.
What’s holding it together? The piece is held together by a number of elements. One is a conceptual framework in which is gathered the various elements. [unpack this please: what various elements? in a few words S.] Another is the folding table, which provides a tableau of sorts, a cohesive context for conditions of display. The third is the light emitted from the projector, which both activates and connects the discrete elements of the piece.
How long will it last? The work will last as long as the projector is operating, but I imagine it can be re-constructed at different times and places.
What does it evoke? The work formally evokes the notion of fragmentation and diffraction through the use of the individuated frames from a video sequence of a crash, through the literal diffraction of light through the slit in the screen, through the refraction of light through the prism and onto the sewing pattern which is itself a fragmented representation of a whole.
Where are its edges? The edges are delineated by the light of the projector, from its source in the machine to the extent of its visibility on the sewing pattern.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE Geometry
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE Geometry consists a series of garments. Each garment is formed by the repetition and tessellation of a single shape; larger shapes are enlargements of the original singular shape. These enclosing volumes have openings for the head, arms, and legs. The Cube comprises six 30x30-inch squares in black cotton canvas. The Isosceles Triangle Double Cone consists of twelve isosceles triangles in white silk organza. The Equilateral Triangle Trilateral Pyramid comprises forty-eight 24-inch triangles in undyed cotton natural bull denim. The Equilateral Trilateral Pyramid consists of four 48-inch triangles in black cotton canvas. The Vesica Pisces Sphere comprises five vesica pisces in black cotton fleece and black cotton ribbed-knit trim. The Rhombus-Quilted Rhombus-Faced Rhombus consists of thirty-six 10-inch rhombuses in black synthetic fabric. The garments are hung on a clothing rack in order from least complicated to most complicated, with the Vesica Pisces Sphere draped on a dress-form.
Is it original?
Yes, though it comprises very commonplace shapes.
What’s holding it together? The work is held together by the conceptual framework of the title of the collected garments, by the naming convention of the individual garments, and by the procedure used to produce each garment. Physically, the work is held together by the overall use of fabric, the choice of neutral (non)colors, the process of sewing, and the context of the garment rack.
How long will it last? The work will last in this form as long as the garments are hung on the clothing rack. Beyond this, the garments may exist in other contexts and function in other ways.
What does it evoke? It evokes a systematic process for the creation of volumes or forms and references to tessellated architectural forms popular in the 1970s. The garments themselves evoke their geometric origins as materially, they are not self-supporting structures, but rather drape according to the way they are hung or placed.
Where are its edges? The edges of the work are in the limits of geometric differentiation and repetition. More concretely, the edges of the work lie in the context of presentation, in this case, the clothing rack.