Mutations
“Mutations” and “Pods”, 1987-89
Concrete and wire mesh; Fabric over foam rubber 96 x 24 x 24 inches Non-extant The Mutations were non-specific totems and they obliquely reference ancient objects like the megaliths at Stonehenge and the Easter Island figures without being tied to any particular philosophy or purpose, but clearly manmade. The Pods were smaller scale transitional pieces that led to the fabric-bound First Mutation. These pieces employed a process similar to papier-mâché, but employing cloth strips instead of paper. The cloth was untreated, but colored with acrylic paint that soaked into the fabric, creating a weathered effect. These concrete monolith Mutations represented an ambitious leap in scale. They were meant to loom over the viewer, so to achieve that affect, I made them about eight feet tall. I was inspired by the muscularity of the megalith sculptures of British modernist William Tucker and the surface detail of Auguste Rodin’s bronze figures. The surface of the monoliths included handwork, resembling clawmarks. Working with a commercial concrete supply house, I experimented with concrete additives, viscosity and different mixes until I arrived at a mix that could be worked by hand. Working with an assistant, we developed a technique to apply layers of specially treated concrete mix by hand, allowing us to manipulate the surface with our fingers. The final result was a tough thick shell over a solid cement base about 18 inches in diameter and four feet high, approximate weight 500 pounds each. The Mutations were only exhibited publicly once -- for just two days during the 1988 Chicago Art Expo at the old Navy Pier site. Though engineered to withstand up to a 50 mile-per-hour wind, on the second day of the Expo, the Chicago lakefront was lashed with heavy rain and high wind gusts that overcame the sculptures, and a few fell, breaking into pieces, while one was rescued. The surviving monolith was later exhibited in Dallas, TX, during a sculpture competition. The venue, a hotel, decided to place this large and heavy object in an outdoor space near some full-length plate-glass windows. The hotel later reported that late one evening during the exhibition, under cover of darkness in its hidden niche, the unguarded monolith was discovered by local skateboarders who joined together to topple the monolith into the windows. Surprisingly, the sculpture itself was not terribly damaged and was removed to a local farm, where left exposed to the elements, it later came apart. |
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