‘ME” 1980
We are not accountable for the things we do.
If you step out you suffer the consequences whether what you do is endorsed or not. Mistakes and triumphs sit side by side and are weighed against each other like profit and loss on the ledger.
At the end of life and afterwards, judgements can be made to determine the merit of contributions made.
‘(Me)’ was made in 1980 when I was 30 and full of confidence.
The making of ‘(Me)’ overlapped a new redundancy of authorship and a condition that predicted ‘chronic fatigue’ which was endemic in the early eighties, which was known as ME.
‘Then’, was just as confusing as ‘now’ has become. Where once the individual held the power to speak on behalf of the broader community, that notion needed to be upended. The ‘author’ now needed to step aside, to clear the air, to leave space for more universal, less subjective themes a visible author might impose.
The word ‘me’ in the sculpture was surrounded with shameful brackets, with the word also underlined and the whole sculpture painted red. To accentuate these features, the sculpture was also cumbersome. It was hard to lug around, a burden more than a gift to the world. I was happy to surrender, what not quite ready to hand over my metaphorical pen. Also, at this time I was inspired a work by Colin McCahon called ‘I Am’ or ‘1 am’ .
My current perspective sees this work as ‘clunky’. It fails to find purchase with ‘sculptural values’ and any idea is only as good as it serves to articulate a ‘sculptural’ voice, which it doesn’t appear to do here.
We are not accountable for the things we do, so I will leave for later on to make the final call.
This photo was taken by ……. and shows ‘(ME)’ being moved to its above site. The photographer’s keen eye has observed how well the work stands out against the white truck and employs the crane to magnify its voice.