Toys are not really as innocent as they look. Toys and games are preludes to serious ideas. Charles Eames Mitchell Squire Dominium, 2006 Acrylic, ABS plastic, rubber site-composed, dimensions vary (here shown installed at Moberg Gallery Des Moines in 2010) Dominium is a sculptural array comprised of three free-standing features: acrylic figurines in the shape of target silhouettes, the smaller of which have a sheriff’s badge cut through; stacked plastic building blocks with racially designated percentages of blood embossed on each side (15/32 Negro, 3/32 Indian, 14/32 White, etc.); and standard office supply rubber fingertips inserted into each other to form a ring. Together they form a contemporary cosmology of institution of law enforcement and the framing principles of proportional action/reaction, perceptions of scale and threat, the social and legal classification of race that has historically underpinned the building of American society (aka, the One Drop Rule), and the procyclicality of all to the overall state of the economy. In large degree mimicking a floor game, the work intends to evoke a sense of awe at the care, deliberateness, and technical aptitude displayed in its construct, yet simultaneously invite its own toppling and thus an anticipation of its subsequent reformation. well, at the very least thats what it does...
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 19:59:06 +0000
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