#5

I observed this nameless sculpture on the second floor of the M building. It is placed on a white column against a white wall. There is a piece of aged wood in the middle. The piece of wood has no finish and seems to be red oak. Industrial metal covers the piece of wood from all sides. There is assemblage being used since both materials are being combined. Both of the materials, individually, have subtractive aspects to them. The wood is broken carelessly and the metal has specific cuts and burns. It can be concluded that this unique sculpture is both additive and subtractive. I feel like the wooden centerpiece was not modified in any way and was instead just already broken and simply chosen to be there because of its qualities. However, the metal has a very clear pattern in regards to the way it is cut, which leads me to believe that the artist tampered with the material. It is also manipulated and folded in a very particular way. It seems that the metal was also melted in some areas, due to the texture, and also by the way the cuts appear.

This piece was interesting because it seems as if the metal is protecting the wooden piece. I interpreted it as the artist’s innocence being the wooden centerpiece, attempting to shield itself from the world with the metal (another aspect of the artist’s psyche perhaps). Although the metal attempts to protect the ‘innocence,’ it fails and reaches the wood, fracturing it. It is also interesting to note that from different angles, the metal appears to be more violent rather than defensive. The artist possibly intended for the interpretation to be determined by the perspective.  Either way, a dichotomy is presented with the use of both materials.