The KISS

This monolithic concrete sculpture weighing over four hundred pounds began as an exercise: an enlargement of a master copy. Over time, I noticed a subsequent change in meaning achieved by the simple change of scale. People walking by the studio would pretend to worship it, and leave "gifts" at its feet. Through this change of scale, the sculpture became godlike, invoking a primitive awe. It was mildly amusing how it took on a personality of its own. My collaborators and I put together a provocative dedication ceremony/ performative artwork dedication for the sculpture. There were a few professional musicians in the group, but it was mostly lay people volunteering. We had it at the University of Pennsylvania, in the middle of a Friday afternoon. It was very well received, but not so well explained. =) Special thanks to Steve Hoke and Jay Beck for drumming, and to Ryan Anderson, Jaamil Olawale Kosoko, Wendy Tai, and Ashley Neal for helping to make the artwork a success.

I love the original sculpture: my fiance Joel Erland gave me a reproduction of the original as a Valentine's Day gift. He has been a fan of Brancusi ever since high school, where he studied sculpture at the American School of Bucharest (in Brancusi's homeland of Romania). I too feel a distinct dialogue with the sculptor of the original piece. This work is very much a part of my artistic heritage: one of my teachers studied under a student of Auguste Rodin who perhaps more than anyone else in the art world first recognized the genius of Constantin Brancusi.

We've talked about a range of possible interpretations, but with our own wedding looming on the horizon, the recurring motifs in our discussions might well be the monstrousity that marriage preparations can become, and the possibly idolatrous aspects of a society that puts heterosexual marriage on such an odd pedestal.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• art
• experimental
• drumming
• primitive
• gods