'W'
The Project
In September of 2006, my Sculpture entitled "W" was installed along with 7 other sculptures by other artists on the main downtown street in Santa Barbara, California, USA. The exhibition, was planned by the Arts Commission, as a temporary exhibition of local artists work. This is the fourth time artists have shown their work on State Street, bolting their work to the specially installed sculpture pads built into the sidewalk. Each time it has created controversy, and because of this, at first I was not really interested in participating. I was frankly appalled at the way the artists were treated by certain elements of the media as well as a cadre of art philistines. It seems you can build a house or supermarket the size of a city block, bomb a country into oblivion, or do any number of agregious things and there would be just a few active and concerned voices speaking out, but put a sculpture on State Street in this town and what one local Art Historian called 'the passionately ill-informed' go absolutely wild!
I did know my work might be 'edgy' here because of its content, but nobody had any idea how the town would explode. The subject matter got confused with the content, as the letter 'W' created by using an upturned McDonalds corporate logo became a sticking point. Although I did not particularly like McDonalds for their (amongst other things) enticement of children to eat unhealthy food, I had no special axe to grind with them more than any other giant corporation, but their logo is recognized around the world as a symbol of corporate America.
Color photos and articles about the controversy hit the front page of the local paper three times in less than five months along with numerous letters to the editor both pro and con, editorials, radio spots both locally and across the nation, local TV appearances, photos by a parasitic photographer in Flickr put alongside clips from the local paper taken completely out of context, from what was already taken out of context, many many handshakes, mentions in several blogs, including what appears to be thinly disguised corporate hack spin control right wing blog by a weedy 'artist' lightweight, a documentary being made (shown in the Santa Barbara Film Festival in late January 2007, and San Luis Obisbo International Film Festival in 2008), a second documentary offer from a former TV producer that would have drawn corporate blood, a music benefit offer, special council meetings, threatening telephone calls, even the (cough) 'art critic' Dr Laura Schlessinger chimed in, with her own brand of ill informed rabble rousing. For my out of country visitors, this Dr. Laura, is not the Los Angeles Art dealer Laura Schlesinger, but a self righteous crocodile with a microphone, who blames everything on 'Liberals' on her platforms. If the proof of one's life is in its pudding, then I would urge you to save your health from the poison contained in hers. (Wikipedia has more on this monster)
To set the stage for the making and appearance of "W', one has to go back to the time in which it was made in the Summer of 2006. I felt there was a sense of absolute outrage in the air, yet it seemed to go largely unspoken. Insane foreign policy, the loss of America's standing in the world, whole countries at the mercy of corporations, monopolized airwaves and a lack of real reporting, the commercialization of children, a war started by connecting non existent dots, and consumer watchdogs in the pockets of the industries they are supposed to be watching. Swarms of lobbyists in Washington, and true Christians wondering who stole their religion- and I'm sure many Republicans feel the same about their party. The growth of style at the expense of soul (especially here in Santa Barbara). The growing corporate monoculture, gradually invading with its cookie cutter stores, making every downtown look the same. (How many Starbucks on downtown State Street now???) The truth of social philosopher John Dewey's statement 'politics is the shadow cast by business over society' is strangely felt in the air without being noticed.
In the light of this I had no energy to make a 'nice' sculpture for downtown Santa Barbara. Indeed I tried, but somehow business as usual was no longer in order. It is hard to make 'cute' things when you are partly paying for a war. It just did not sit well. All art is made in a historical context, and in my work I do want to have it mirror the times in which we live. I do not see myself as a 'political' artist, and I do not go looking for trouble. I am not anti-corporate, but I am not alone in thinking they have way too much power, and the original reason for their coming into being, seems to have been usurped by profits alone. McDonalds fit the bill as a symbol of multi billion dollar multinational corporate power.
I witness the world and see what images arise. I believe in the power of the imagination, and its ability to find what I call the 'sweet solution'. (click on the first of the sketches to the left to see how the 'W' image came about). I do however believe that all art is political in some way, simply because we vote in the way we use our time, money, and resources. I was making an artwork that seemed to parallel the way the world was, through observation.The experience of it being on the street, has politicized me far more than I ever was before. Since making 'W' I have looked more closely at the growing soulless monoculture, creeping into every corner of the world, (Yuk!), as well as governments ignoring the will of the people, and corporate greed and wrongdoing.
Within three weeks of installing the sculpture on State Street, the rather comic (vote for me forever) President of Venezuala Hugo Chavez had given his famous 'Diablo W' speech where the politicians from numerous countries applauded so long, that the chairman had to call it to an end. Also within those three weeks New York announced it wanted to ban Trans Fats, after having asking the Fast Food industry to voluntarily reduce its use of this fat a year earlier, to no avail. It has been estimated that about 500 deaths each year occur due to Trans Fats in New York City alone, 30,000 in the whole country. Health care professionals have said that no amount of Trans Fats are good for you, and that it simply does not belong in food. Profits over health. Even the 'healthy choices' have it in, misleading customers into thinking they are making a smarter choice. Surely that is mean spirited and anti-social.
The two 'wings' of my satirical work both skewered. I felt vindicated. By November 7th, 2006, just 10 days before all the sculptures on State Street came down, George W. Bush lost both the house of Congress, and the house of Representatives.
Every President deserves a monument, maybe 'W' would be a candidate for this one.
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MORE on Dr Laura Schlessinger see Stopdrlaura.com. (There are other websites about her, but revealing them here would be ungentlemanly, and below the belt.) Look her up on Wikipedia.
MORE on Corporations; DVD documentary 'The Corporation'
MORE on Corporate manipulation; MIT Proffessor Noam Chomsky's talks on DVD, 'Propoganda and the control of the Public Mind.
MORE on the concentration of the media, 'Orwell would roll in his Grave' DVD at your local SB library
MORE on McDonalds; Fast Food Nation (The Book is way better than the movie). The documentary 'McLibel', (MCSPOTLIGHT.ORG), also 'Supersize Me' (Apparently his body has still not recovered), on the kids toys given to kids at McDonalds as a marketing tool; http://www.ronaldmchummer.com/
MORE on Trans Fat; Bantransfat.com
MORE in books about the corporatization of childhood 'Consuming Kids; the hostile takeover of Kids' and also 'Appetite for Profit'
MORE on GMO food: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3643830908060069005&q=future+of+food&hl=en
MORE on silencing artists documentary 'Shut Up and Sing' about the Dixie Chicks being boycotted by scores of Clearchannel radio stations.
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Review
Excerpted from 'Public Art Offerings' review of the exhibit 'State of the Art' in the Scene section of Santa Barbara News Press, Sept. 15th 2006
"...Basically the exhibition amounts to a happy scattershot sculpture garden punctuating the storefronts, banks, spas, eateries and drinkeries.
This time around, the public art assumes a pleasing and innocuous role amidst the scenery.
There may be one notable exeption to this rule of pleasantry, and it’s the doozy known as “W.” Leave it to Colin Gray, the long time local artist who has been something of a subtle gladfly on the scene. HIs eye-grabbing piece, at the corner of State and Canon Perdido Streets, is the brightest of the bunch, in more than one way.
In his work, whether in drawings or sculptures, Gray continues to tinker obsessively with nagging shapes and objects assuming new combined manifestations. Here, the obvious point-of-reference is the McDonalds “golden arches” logo against candy apple red, a vision and symbol of American corporate ambition recognised around the world.
But that sign is only a starting point and acually something of a coy smoke screen. Gray has turned the insignia upside-down, hence the title, “W,” aiming directly at George W. Bush and his dubious policies of chummy provisions for corporate America, and particually the oil industry. Hidden inside the artwork, little droplets of oil squirt out from the axles inside the two-wheel structure of the piece.
But even that politicized reading of Gray’s piece is this reporter’s subjective opinion. The artist is careful to keep interperative options open..."
Josef Woodard
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