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7/24/25

BVH 522232323434


Hello Everyone. Today I want to show of a diptych of works I am calling BVH 522232323434.

I think in a lot of design intensive work, there is a natural trend towards ever more complex projects. The desire for growth can result in adding more and more to what came before without taking anything away. I often recognize it in my practice and so frequently cut and simplify designs when they get out of hand.

But I must admit I am also guilty of quite the opposite; eschewing things that are too simple even when they pique my interest. That is to say, I nearly decided against making these wonderful little pieces because I thought the idea just wasn't complex enough.


But of course there is nuance and beauty in concision.

I think I recognize in these pieces how, in my practice as a whole, taking the long view on a rather simple premise has led me down uncountable rabbit holes. All of which were pleasurable and enriching.


So, to the work itself. The kernel of the idea for this diptych was simply to make a sort of hinge. One that holds itself together without extraneous hardware or complex geometry. I came up with two variations, one with a ball as the pivot, and one with a cylinder. Thats it. Thats the whole premise. However it was plenty enough to pour myself into and make my own.

I leaned on magnets once again for this mechanic, and I think I mostly achieved what I was after in terms of a lack of hardware, with one caveat; which is that I mounted the smallest magnets with screws.


Over the many designs that have employed these cylindrical magnets, I have come to accept their look as a basic visual element. So while it does not personally bother me to have them so prominently visible, I think to some degree, there is a breaking of an illusion. 

For me, I think it just helps communicate how the piece functions, but I am also reminded that in some of my earliest welded steel works, I intentionally included visible hardware to thwart fictional interpretation. That is, the hardware was their to communicate that all sculptures are constructed objects, and not whatever it is they claim to represent. So I guess some part of this belief is old hat for me.


Another thing this work helped me wrestle with is that as I continue to make these small tactile artworks, I am confronted with the reality that a sizable majority of people who interact with them, tend to categorize them as toys. 

I understand this on many levels, and don’t even disagree with it. I see the relationship between art and play. But! As someone who thinks hard about making art with a process that exists in this space between manufacturing, marketing, commoditization, and the rest of it–I know that the language we use to describe our work matters, so I do not use such words to describe my art. 


Personally, I am struck by how the simple fact of being able to touch and manipulate a piece of art, can re-contextualize it into a “toy”something equal parts fascinating and troubling to me. 

I have experienced the word "toy" both as a positive and a negative thing. Calling something a toy can conjure the idea of joy, but it can also paint something as unserious. So much art in our history has been tactile, or even useful, so it is interesting to think about when we started trivializing (both intentionally and unintentionally) things we can manipulate as toys. Is “play” really a bad thing in art?


It strikes me that it matters to some degree on which side of the act of creation the play is taking place. Art making itself is often described as play. This is generally considered a good thing. In this context play leads to discovery, connection, and fulfillment. We celebrate this type of play. 

However on the other side of creation, we have art appreciation. I think it is here where play becomes more problematic (at least for some). This is where the un-seriousness, pretension, and bias against play can creep in. Because art appreciation is very serious business in some circles. 


Thankfully while I take my work very seriously, I do not take myself all that serious, so it is all just interesting to me. Art is anthropology after all, so I just like to recognize it now and again.
  

I promise I do not have a chip on my shoulder about this. However, maybe in my next post I will try a rant about when people call my sculpture “products” and my uncomfortable relationship with that particular word. We shall see.


Anyway, I hope some of you will appreciate these little gems for what they are. Above is a video where I take them each apart and work through some possibilities on improving them.


Note for collectors: I think it is obvious that a small edition of these is in the works. I will post a sign up of some kind next week. Lets just say Tuesday July 29th at 11 AM for those who like to get their names on my pre-orders first. I should have most of the details worked out by then.

As always, thank you for your time and attention. Comments and questions are welcome.