| SFclay |
| MFA Thesis Exhibit |
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With War Games the viewer is confronted with three
installations. The first an oversized set of jacks in the form of
tank traps and a large ball in the form of a globe. We find
ourselves on either side of the battle line established by the
tank traps. We look across the work into the eyes of our
opponent, only to realize we are looking at ourselves,
wondering how different we really are from the “enemy”. How
well do we understand them or ourselves? Is this war truly a
battle of good vs. evil?
The war games continues as War Pendulum asks the viewer
to reexamine the haphazard way the administration has
handled the military planning and war strategies. Little green
plastic army men were once a staple of a child’s toy box, and
are now remembered fondly by many of today’s adults.
These expendable little toys brought countless hours of fun
and empowerment as the soldiers were bowled over by balls,
burned by the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass, melted
by the flame of a cigarette lighter, or blown up with fire
crackers. In an odd corollary, we acted out the dispensability
of soldiers. In a non-draft war, with an administration having
little direct impact by the death of a soldier, our military is
pressed into a service as consumable as a little green plastic
toy.
In War Pendulum, an improvised explosive device swings
haphazardly between twelve soldiers, equally spaced on an
eight-foot circle. Each is incrementally positioned like the
hour on the face of a clock, unaware of the explosive device
coming nearer to their heads while performing the duties they
have trained for. When an IED explodes, the thin walls of the
Humvees are inadequate protection from the bombs blast.
Legs are blown off, arms are severed, and shrapnel pierces
the skin in a preemptive war in the name of freedom. The
rescue team swarms in to help their fallen comrades as the
second IED explodes …we are at war.
The war labors on as Sisyphus reminds us of its futility. In
this installation, Sisyphus takes on the form of a soldier who
pushes the globe up a mountain of fragile helmets from his
deceased comrades. This is the futile action of an ill
equipped and under protected soldier who goes on about his
duty to uphold the orders of his commanders. The reference
to Greek mythology urges us to recognize the history of war,
that history repeats and that empires rise and fall. Great
nations, however, are not built by destruction…still at war and
it is no game.
installations. The first an oversized set of jacks in the form of
tank traps and a large ball in the form of a globe. We find
ourselves on either side of the battle line established by the
tank traps. We look across the work into the eyes of our
opponent, only to realize we are looking at ourselves,
wondering how different we really are from the “enemy”. How
well do we understand them or ourselves? Is this war truly a
battle of good vs. evil?
The war games continues as War Pendulum asks the viewer
to reexamine the haphazard way the administration has
handled the military planning and war strategies. Little green
plastic army men were once a staple of a child’s toy box, and
are now remembered fondly by many of today’s adults.
These expendable little toys brought countless hours of fun
and empowerment as the soldiers were bowled over by balls,
burned by the sun’s rays through a magnifying glass, melted
by the flame of a cigarette lighter, or blown up with fire
crackers. In an odd corollary, we acted out the dispensability
of soldiers. In a non-draft war, with an administration having
little direct impact by the death of a soldier, our military is
pressed into a service as consumable as a little green plastic
toy.
In War Pendulum, an improvised explosive device swings
haphazardly between twelve soldiers, equally spaced on an
eight-foot circle. Each is incrementally positioned like the
hour on the face of a clock, unaware of the explosive device
coming nearer to their heads while performing the duties they
have trained for. When an IED explodes, the thin walls of the
Humvees are inadequate protection from the bombs blast.
Legs are blown off, arms are severed, and shrapnel pierces
the skin in a preemptive war in the name of freedom. The
rescue team swarms in to help their fallen comrades as the
second IED explodes …we are at war.
The war labors on as Sisyphus reminds us of its futility. In
this installation, Sisyphus takes on the form of a soldier who
pushes the globe up a mountain of fragile helmets from his
deceased comrades. This is the futile action of an ill
equipped and under protected soldier who goes on about his
duty to uphold the orders of his commanders. The reference
to Greek mythology urges us to recognize the history of war,
that history repeats and that empires rise and fall. Great
nations, however, are not built by destruction…still at war and
it is no game.
| Cover of 96 Hours: San Francisco Chronicle 10-16-08 Bay Area Currents |
| Sisyphus 4' x 5' x 6' Stoneware |
| War Pendulum 12' x 10' x 10' Stoneware |
| War Pendulum 12' x 10' x 10' Stoneware |
| War Games 3' x 8' x 10' Stoneware |
| Twelve Soldiers for War Pendulum based on 19" figure Stoneware |
| Ames 18" x 10" x 8" |
| At Ease 10" x 7" x 8" |
| Block-aid 18" x 10" x 13" |
| Candy 10" x 7" x 10" |
| Gas Mask 19" x 13" x 6" |
| Ground Shooter 6" x 9" x 24" |
| Communicator 10" x 7" x 10" |
| Look Out 18-1/2" x 12" x 6" |
| On Track 17-1/2" x 12" x 8" |
| Over There 18" x 7" x 10" |
| Stay 16-1/2" x 12" x 11" |
| Seeker 18" X 13" X 9" |
| © 2009 Steven M. Allen - SFclay. All rights reserved. Images of artwork are copyrighted by the artist |
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| SFclay |