 |
| My sister Robyn to Being. Mark McDean. February 2012 |
 |
| Closeup of Mark's artwork. |
Shocking pink uneven cords decorated with pearlesque buttons hang in strips from a round, white plastic frame that encases a photograph of what looks to me like Mark carrying a wicker basket above his head. There is a performative aspect to the photograph, which depicts the figure from a rear view, suggesting simultaneously departure and arrival. His figure is partially reflected in the window to the right. Even if this was captured accidentally it does suggest to me that there is reflection (memory) still remaining in the forward or backward movement. Here is Mark's explanation of the work:
My sister Robyn [died 1980] had a
pair of those frames with tacky ballet dancing scenes in them. I have been lucky to
start collecting them from the op shops around here. Also, for some strange reason,
I have been interested in the term 'The Mother Load" - the title of this email is
the French translation. Reflecting on the image of your grandmother, and the
enclosing object you placed it on, brings back memories of the 'stuff' my mother
carried around. The image in the frame is from a 1960s National Geographic. The
story was about a tribe in Northern Africa. It was illustrated by these images of
women, carrying large parcels of fabric during a sandstorm. I loved the idea of load
bearing and the capacity to 'carry a life'. The embellishments represent the
'frippery' of femininity as adornment. Der Schwertxe Gehalcht is the
German translation of 'my heaviest of burdens'. This phrase was used in the early
pages of 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being'.
No comments:
Post a Comment