Saturday, January 29, 2005
The Test of Time
When I made this sculpture in 1986, the digital camera was just an idea!
This piece of work (aluminium, stainless steel cable and polyster sail) has stood up to numerous gales, storms and solar intensity for the past 19 years. The ultra-violet rays and the pollution in the air has caused the sails to fade and weaken and they have been replaced some 5 times. More on this here
furthermore...
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The birth of my first child, Caitlin was a traumatic event for me, Sylv was induced 2 weeks early due to hypertension, and I was with her for the 12 hour labour, which involved a massive emotional strain for us both. Sylv’s pain and the possible problems for the unborn baby took their toll, until at last, at about 11.45pm Caitlin was born, and was healthy. Sylv could relax, happy in her exhausted state, and I was able to slip out from the maturnity ward for a fag, and to contemplate my new world. I wondered along to where your sculpture stood, and simply let the experience of the day, the future that had openned up, and the moment, wash over me. It was a cold evening. the 1st of November 1987. As I stood before the sculpture, I started thinking about it. The cold wind animated it in a wrestless way, and it made sounds as it moved, creaking and swishing, responding to the cold gusts of wind. I wondered about its origin. Was there meaning in its construction ? Or was it purely an aestetic inspiration? I stopped wondering, aware that it was, for that moment, and for me, emblematic of my new world, and my new identity as an adult who had fathered another living person. Another person who would look to me as their father. The sails, shifting to the winds as they blew, did indeed mirror something of that moment. I remember smiling in recognition of something I can’t quite articulate. I have been back to that place many times since, including for the birth of my second daughter 4 years later, and its reassuring to see the sails still there, still riding the winds. Caitlin is nearly 18 years old now. Extrordinary. Just came across your blog entry looking for something on PHP. ‘The Test of Time’ really brought the moment back to me.
Posted on 03/09 at 02:59 AM
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Like you I spent time viewing the sculpture at the time my 2 daughters were born - Zoe in 1996 and Hannah in 1999.
In some ways the sculpture has caused me some stress over the years because I have worried (and still worry) about its final demise when the storms eventually destroy it. In the early years (it was built in 1985), I used to go up to the hospital during winter gales and expect to find it in a heap on the roundabout!
It has been repaired several times - and not lately by me.
Originally, my thought was that the piece was meant to express the idea of ‘3’ in many ways - 3 spinning triangles, with 3 striped sails in 3 different directions. The kinetic components are designed to ‘appear’ to almost touch as they revolve around their cables.
Thanks for your very kind comments and sharing your thoughts.
Posted on 03/10 at 12:28 AM