GavinKing ENGL11111 ArtRemix Draft1 ManholeSOGC

InmypreviousessayExploringtheManhole,Iexploredtheintendedmessageof IvanNavarrospiece,Manhole,andcameupwithsomealternatetheoriesthatcould changeitsinterpretation.Theplaqueonthewalldescribesitasaquietreminderto immigrantsofthethresholdbetweenahauntingpastandthegroundtheystandon, referringtoviolenthistoryofChileduringNavarroschildhood.Thismessage,solidified withtheauthorsownquoteMyworkconsist[s]of(metaphorically)dirtyingthepurityof industrialforms,assignthepieceanauraofsadnessanddespair. Theportallikenatureofthepieceintriguedme.Quotesfromthecurator,critics,and eventheartisthimselfalllimitedthepiecesinterpretationtoaperspectiveinonedirection. Down.Thoughtsofdirtinessandaquietreminderofahauntingpastwereallthingsthat someonewouldthinkonlybylookingdownintothehole.Iwasmoreinterestedinthe oppositeviewpoint.Manholescanbetraversedintwodirections,andsofarnoonehas thoughtaboutlookingfromthebottomup.Idecidedtoexplorethiscontrapositiveand createtheothersideofManhole. Tostart,Ifirsthadtofigureoutwhatthatactuallymeant.InWaysofSeeingJohn Bergerexplainstheimportanceofcontextwhenitcomestoviewingartinacertainway.

Manholeisnoexceptiontothis.Placedinafancyartgalleryinafamousmuseuminthe beautifulAmericancityofBoston,thepieceissurroundedbyclassandcomfort.White wallsandacleanpolishedmaplefloorsurrounditonallsides.Collegestudents,visitors, andtouristswalkaroundwithexpensivecamerasandcellphonesastheyexplorethe gallery.ThecontextoftheManholeisonaspectralextreme,anditsetsupthejuxtaposition thatmakesthepiecesmeaningsopowerful.Itiscompletelyoppositefromtheviolentpast thatNavarrodescribes.So,ifManholelooksdownintoadarkplacefromahappyplace, theothersidemustlookupintoahappyplacefromadarkplace.Thiswasthestartofmy idea. ThefirstthingthisremindedmeofwasBanksysworkintheWestBank.InExit ThroughtheGiftShop,heisshownpaintinghugemuralsontheWestBankBarrier, depictingholesandopeningstotheoutsideworld.Inmanyofthepaintings,theviewofthe outsideworldisfilledwithblueskies,mountains,andpalmtrees.Insidehowever,thereis ongoingpoliticalandreligiousstruggle. Followingthistheme,myinitialthoughtwastomakeanexactreplicaofthemanhole andmountitinadevastatedarea,ontheceilingofsomesortofoverhangorceiling. Peoplecouldlookupintothetunnelandimagineabrightfuture.Thecolorgradeinthe reflectionwouldbereversedfromtheoriginal.Insteadofgoingfromyellowtoblueasit wentdown,thelightwouldstartblueandslowlygetbrighterandbrighterthehigherupit went.Thiswouldbetheidealsituation,theexactoppositeofthepieceinthemuseum. Peopleononeendinthemuseumwouldlookdownintoadarkpast,whilepeopleonthe otherwouldlookupintoabrightfuture.

Therewereafewproblemswiththisplan.Thefirstandmostobviouswasbuilding anexactreplicaoftheoriginalManhole.WhileIdonotthinkitwasespeciallyhardtobuild, thetimeandcostofmaterialsseemedexcessiveforthiskindofproject.Iwouldhaveto findsomeothermaterialforasubstitute. Second,therearentanyplacesnearbythatwouldfallunderthedarkcategory. TherearemanyroughneighborhoodsandareasinBoston,butnothingthatwouldqualify asthesortofplaceandtimethatNavarroexperiencedinhischildhood.Puttingupa sculpturethatsymbolizedahopeandabrightfutureanywherearoundherewouldjustbean insulttotheareasresidents.Justbecauseanarealookslikeitisstrugglingrelativetome andmylifedoesnotmeanthatitactuallyis.Peopleprobablyenjoylivingthere,andrelative tootherareasintheworlditseemslikeaparadise. Lastly,thesculptureiselectrical.Streetartusuallydoesntneedtobepluggedin,so findingapowersourcefortheneonbulbswouldbeanissue.Thereprobablywouldntbe anoutletnearbyandtherewouldbenoguaranteethatsomeonewouldntjustunplugit. Batterieswouldbeanoptionbuttheyrunoutquicklyandwouldneedtobereplaced. So, my first thought was to paint it. Beside the fact that location would still be a problem, I would have to spend lots of money on spray paint and stencils. This would also be very illegal and might get me arrested. My artistic skills arent the best, and it would probably come out looking terrible anyway. I also considered printing it out on paper and gluing it up. This would require expensive color prints and it wouldnt be permanent. Both of these solutions would also ruin the illusion of the piece which is an integral part of the artwork.

I brought this dilemma up to classmates and they helped me figure out the best way to portray the feel I was trying to achieve. In the end, the best solution was building the scene digitally. I ended up choosing this route because it sacrificed the least out all my ideas. I could have the environment I wanted, the art I wanted, placed in a way that I wanted it. I started out with the environment. The roof of my friends apartment is separated from other buildings by barbed wire, so I met up with her on her roof to take some photos. These, along with a few other photos I found online, make up the environment for my sculpture. The barbed wire is a tribute to the Chilean environment in which people close to Navarro were exposed to. Many political opponents of GeneralAugusto Pinochetendedupininternmentcamps,whicharebasicallyconcentrationcamps.The otherImagessymbolizeadecayingsociety,withabrokenbrickwallandaburnedhouse. Theseaddthethefeelingofmisfortuneandsadness. Finally,theactualsculpturesitsonthetopright,mountedonadecrepitceiling.The flippedorientationandthestateoftheceilingcontrasttheMuseumofFineArtsandthe glossyflooringManholeisplacedon.Thelightingcolorgradienthasbeenflippedinside thecasing,sobluefadesuptoyellowastheshaftoflightascends,symbolizingthe directionofemotion. Alltogether,thefourimagesmakeupthepieceandtheenvironmentitwouldbe foundin,creatingthepolarreflectionofManhole.Symbolizinganescapefromchaos,this newpieceenhancesthegroundworklaidoutbyNavarro.