Factory Art

Suppose, as a sort of satirical comment on contempory art, a person began to drag home every piece of rusty metal that lay in his twisted path through life and set them out in his yard. After fifteen years or so, what would it look like? Any chance his project would morph from satire into artistic pretention complete with a lame interpretation of the art form?  Double click on the images for a better look.

Fredrick Faucet Hands aka Watering Man

Spirit Chairs

The Collage By The Garage

Four Gorillas Returning From A Pipe Hunt

Homer Simpson

Do You Call That Art?

I call it factory art, which implies that it was made in a factory so there were many identical items produced and it was made for some functional purpose and any visual appeal or interest it may have is accidental rather than intentional. But is it art? Since there is no, or almost no, artistic execution involved, it is hard to call it art. The role of factory artist is more that of discoverer than executor. But I will say that a number of legitimate artists have looked at the collection and none has ever said anything that was not encouraging. One opined that once a person puts something up to be looked at, then the thing is art. One time we hosted a party on behalf of friends so that we did not know a number of the guests. I was standing in the yard with two guys, one an engineer and the other a self described artist from Chicago. Indicating one of the pieces the engineer asked, “What does that do?” Before I could answer the artist said, “It’s doing it.” I took that as praise.

Not all these pieces fit the definition of factory art. Watering Man was intentionally made and the Spirit Chairs, while no doubt made in a factory are in fact not particularly interesting to gaze upon. What makes them interesting is what is not there to be seen. I used to favor those pieces that actually look enough like something to inspire a good name. Four Gorillas Returning From A Pipe Hunt is an example. Now I like best the ones that can sustain my attention. Collage By The Garage is an example of that. There is quite a bit to see there. If what you see is a bunch of hub caps, you’re missing it. It is a natural response to look at these things and say, “What is that? What was it made for?” That instinctive response is what you must get past in order to “see” the pieces.

I certainly know of pieces by legitimate artists that I find much less interesting, but there’s no accounting for taste.

A Conversation With Osama bin Laden

I had a day dream today in which I chanced to have a conversation with Osama bin Laden. I asked him, “How did you hope the United States would react to your attack on September 11, 2001?”

He said, “First of all I hoped you would get into a war with some Islamic country. Afghanistan would be good since the Afghans are so accustomed to fighting European invaders that they can do it forever. I didn’t predict your short term success, but I was pretty sure you’d regret it in the long run. Not only would it cost you in blood and treasury, but it would help to polarize attitudes on both sides of the struggle over the future of Islam, that is, will it modernize or not. Next I hoped it would incite a lot of anti Muslim sentiment in the U.S. with attendant displays of hatred. That would surely help my recruitment efforts. Third, I dared to hope that what was really only a symbolic strike given the size of the US, absolutely minor in real damage to either lives or property, would come to be interpreted as some kind of catastrophic blow. Since I didn’t really give a shit for your personal rights to privacy, trial by jury, etc. I didn’t particularly hope they would be curtailed. They mean nothing to me. Finally I hoped and I continue to fervently hope that you will never ever forget. You know, it was a pretty big day for me. I’d hate for you to just get over it.

Me: Well how’s it going for you then?

Him: Pretty well I’d say.