2007空白展代表作品-Universal Remote

Universal Remote

　　Universal Remote

　　Fiber Glass, Silicon Rubber, Plexi Glass,

　　112cm in Length

　　2007

　　When approached with the opportunity to participate in an exhibition in China I was immediately drawn to the idea of having a piece of sculpture fabricated there. For decades China has been the “world’s workshop” and is now increasingly using its assets (large work force and availability of new technology) in the transition to a market economy. After years of manufacturing, the east is now using its power not only to manufacture the world’s consumer goods but also counterfeit them. In a sense, the act of counterfeiting can be seen as an analogue to my own artistic practice.

　　As a sculptor, I am routinely examining, remaking and manipulating objects from the world. Through my own rudimentary process of reverse engineering I reconstruct images and objects from the world in the interest of a sculptural statement. However, my work also relies on the fact that each object is interpreted by hand. This implied personal connection to the artist inspires a series of questions: How is the same subject matter interpreted in another’s hands? What is the role of the artist/craftsman in an era of appropriation? In the interest of these questions, I propose to build a sculpture that embodies my own impulses as an object maker and embraces the trans-global filters of east to west – idea to object.

　　Universal Remote is an exact replica of a multimedia remote control device at three times up (3x) scale. The functionally essential but aesthetically ignored object is blown up to a scale that aggrandizes its presence and suggests an equally magnified power. The manipulation of its scale would purposefully confuse its character; leaving the object caught between a department store display prop and an architectural proposal model. Workers using an actual copy of the remote control as their primary reference would fabricate the sculpture in China. The artist will determine all other aspects of the final sculpture remotely via email, photography and telephone. Intervention by the artist should be minimal after the process begins. In the end, the piece should reflect the process of translation and invites the opportunity for slippage in its transformation from utilitarian tool to art object. For it is these slippages stand in for all the growing pains felt by both west and east in our increasingly reliant relationship.

　　万能遥控器

　　玻璃钢，硅胶，有机玻璃

　　112厘米长

　　2007

　　去中国参加展出的机会让我有了通过遥控在当地制作一件雕塑的想法。几十年来，中国一直是“世界的工厂”。当下她越来越充分地利用其资产(大量劳动力和可用新技术) 向市场经济转型。经过多年的制造业，东方凭借其力量不仅生产全世界的消费品，而且伪造它们。从某种意义上说，这种伪造行为是我自身艺术实践的一种翻版。

　　作为雕塑家，我的一项日常活动就是审视、仿制和重组世上的各种物品。通过颠倒常理的工程，我重塑这些图像和物品，使之呈现出雕塑的语言。不过，我的作品也依赖于一个事实：每个物品都是通过手工来诠释的。艺术品与艺术家之间隐含的这种个性联系，引发了一系列问题: 同一主题在另一个人手中将如何表现？在抄袭、阐释泛滥的时代，自己动手的艺术家扮演着什么角色？出于对这些问题的兴趣，我计划制作一件雕塑，从自己作为一个物品制造者的冲动出发，拥抱全球化的渗析：从东方到西方——从观念到物品。

　　《万能遥控器》是一个多媒体遥控器的精确复制品，尺寸为原物的5倍。这个功能齐备、却完全忽视美观的物品被放大多倍以夸耀其存在并暗示同样夸大的作用。对该物品尺寸的处理有意模糊了它的特征，使其介于百货公司展品和建筑方案模型之间。工人将以实物为主要参考，在中国制作这件雕塑。艺术家则通过电子邮件、图像及电话遥控除动手以外的各个方面。但在开始制作之后，艺术家的干预将降至最低限度。最终，这尊雕塑应该映照出沟通的过程，并欢迎从实用工具到艺术品的转变中可能出现的差异和误解。因为在东西方日益加强的依存关系中，这些差异误解正代表着成长的痛楚。