The chain motif that appears in other posts here, continues to occupy me.
In this instance I am attempting to develop an idea of racial entanglement that goes back to one of my first inspirations for this series. The work in question is a piece of airport art from Kenya that constitutes a chain, carved from a single log, and featuring a head at each end. In fact, I took a swipe at making a version of such consisting of two ceramic heads, one negro and the other white, connected by an arbitrarily long steel chain. This chain, many tens of feet in length and rusted and worn, was to be draped over a remotely high and obscure support. The heads were to be at the same height from the floor and so arranged that they might collide with each other. I didn’t feel able to bring this off and the project pends.
Along similar lines is this: two separate and separately colored chains which follow their own trajectories, yet cross and entangle with each other.
The rule is to not show an unfinished project, but in this case I’m making an exception. This because I’m looking for comment. For instance, does the layout say anything? How about the links?
Jay,
As you know, I’m quite fond of your chains. I think you are on to something here, a quite important something.
First a question: is each chain a single shade — that is, none of the sides of the links change color? And, are any of the individual links within the individual chains different colors? I can’t quite tell because of the photo, so I thought I’d make sure I was seeing correctly. I think I am seeing two chains, one black and one white, which come together, tangle, and then part.
My critique speaks, I think, both to the idea/content of the art (“racial entanglement”) and the formal artistic qualities that the sculpture embodies. I’d like to see _more_ entanglement. First, formally, there’s something stiff about the current arrangement of the pieces. The chains want to move more, but they are constrained. That may be your intent, but it makes me want to move them around; the arrangement feels tentative to me.
Second, when I think about black and white Americans, I know neither they (the various colors of people) nor it (the concept) are black and white, but rather it’s all mixed and tangled. [I know you know this too, but I’m thinking out loud].
In the piece of yours which we have, you’ve worked out a wonderful construct of the tangles of gender [and by the way, it’s beautiful — and fun to play with]. One of the things I like about the gender chain is that it’s impossible to untangle (or at least I’ve not been able to). The gender metaphor (idea/content) is embodied in the formal quality of the sculpture. That’s what I miss in Ivory and Ebony.
You’ve begun to tangle the pieces, but only in a single place and then they jump apart again. I know that there has been lots of discussion about the place of racism in this last election, but I also know that even in extremely white Portland, blacks and whites are very very tangled together, sometimes happily, sometimes not so happily. And of course, my “black” grandson looks like an exotic creature, perhaps from the middle east; only in America would he be considered “black.”
I also can’t discern from the photo whether the ends of the chains are intentionally attached to rusted metal. That might change the metaphorical impact.
Your work with chains keeps evolving and changing in terrific ways. In this case, I felt like I wanted more complexity, even if in the end the conclusion is that the two ethnicitys continue to be separate. There’s something poignant about the separation when we are so close.
I have other thoughts about race, most of which are perhaps only tangentially relevant. For example, some of what we tend to attribute to race is probably due to culture — for a reverse example, a black friend found herself more at home with a white woman from the same state more than she did with other black folks from a different part of the country. Some of it has to do with class, by which I mean economics, sometimes, although not always, a result of racial prejudice. And then there’s our broken electoral system, which in some states targets minorities and those who tend to vote Democrat — the “takers” as Mitt Romney would call them. This is a disgrace and embarrasses me to even mention, but it can’t be overlooked.
There are lots of nuances around the entanglements of blacks and whites; I don’t know if a single sculpture can encompass them. Perhaps you need a series, allowing for the viewer to decide for herself what nuances you were playing with. I really like the title of this post — very elegant. And I must tell you that when Sam was small, his caucasian relatives were referred to as “pink.” I leave that thought with you to ponder:-)
Oh, and what about a horizontal arrangement?
Thanks for taking the time and for sharing these telling thoughts. You have so much to say that I don’t know if I will be able to answer fully.
From a formal perspective: the one chain is entirely dead white and the other completely black. I wanted to see how this setup would play out. I made reference to the links in the post as they are square and flattish shapes that kind of dig into each other. The narrative comes across as the black and white elements getting wrapped up with each other and then emerging from the encounter as still black and white. A simple consequence of the preconditions becomes a sort of social statement. This is one of the things that fascinate me about this proposition. Another social statement could emerge from making the outbound links some kind of gray (seen as outbound because gray).
And moreover, links in various skin colors could be done. And that would be another direction.
By the way, Ebony and Ivory is the name of a Paul McCartney song and it refers soley to the post and not the piece. Sorry to disappoint.
Jay,
For me your white and black chains represent yin and yang, shadow and light, duality. Like June, I enjoy your chains.
Coming back to NYC from Northern Michigan and riding the subway today from 125th street to Canal Street, I was enchanted with the multitude of colorations and bone structures of the faces and I marveled at their origin – east/west/south/north European, near/middle/far East, African tribes. Puerto rican. The diversity!
Birgit:
See it once, see it again. Your mention of Canal Street was the second time in a day. The other informed me that Canal Street was once actually a canal that was then filled in. And I would surmise that interesting faces have always appeared there.
Glad you like the chains. Right now, as winter settles in, I’m trying to finish up projects once begun and underfoot. Will post as they finalize.
I have no deep insights to share, but I like it.
Keeping them to yourself are you Jim?
Jay,
I think the work holds together as a piece open to interpretation, separate from the concept that inspired you to make it.
It seems that that background white panel with the random paint spots is not necessarily part of the sculpture, but I think it fits well. There is, to me, something startling and interesting in the way you have used the canvas stretchers. Imagine that each element in the chain was a painting. Would the paintings be transformed by the intersection of the chains?
Greetings Karl:
Interesting thoughts… First, the background that you mention is the smeary wall upon which I work. I usually endeavor to erase it out of any posted images, but I wanted to display this as an unfinished and provisional matter. And, yes, the context can and does play an important role in this chain thing.
As for imagery, there is an entire tradition of chain imagery, usually taking the form of personal adornment. The whole enterprise is proving so potent that adding anything beyond suggestive formalisms frankly scares me off.
Chain – limited symbol- almost corny but maybe that’s what you intended…square links? whaaaa Exploit the elements of art to push your work further further furtherest.
Jay–I just came across this post, but have been to the site a few times. Did you ever end up posting the finished product for this?