Galvanised
Wilson, K. 2005. Galvanised.
Wilson, K. 2005. Galvanised.
| Creators | Wilson, K. |
|---|---|
| Description | A body of sculptural work fabricated in galvanised steel. The series links together as a family of pieces, which explore the power relations inherent in any number of simple everyday interactions, and take the physical form of re-invented farmyard architecture. Galvanised brought together a body of work made since 2001, setting out the case for a certain brand of conceptual sculpture. Grounded in a real social territory (the works took the crisis in the rural economy as one starting point) they provided an imaginative reconfiguring of the world from a farming perspective, filtered through urban and art histories. Wilson fabricates elements that would allow you to stand and buy a cow or calm a cow on its way to slaughter. This was the first time that Wilson’s large, galvanised steel sculptures were seen in the context of the gallery. It offered an opportunity to see the works beyond the potent historical contexts within which they had been previously shown. In articulating the space of the gallery, both conceptually and architecturally, they entered a more formal conversation on sculpture and sculptural practice. Each piece had a similar syntax of production: rough drawings and calculations in the studio, where farming scenarios were imagined; CAD drawings working prospective objects up to engineering spec; final fabrication by Industrial Agricultural Engineering, a company which produces much of this country’s farming apparatus. This system meant the final object had an apparent authenticity that further complicated the business of making sense of it. In this exhibition the audience was expanded by the inclusion of an off-site component at the Open University campus. The works are performative, directly engaging the body, inviting interaction and physical engagement. By installing different configurations for different specific situations, Wilson is investigating the capacity objects have for possessing both a stable core meaning and a multiplicity of more contingent meanings according to context. |
| Year | 2005 |