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Piece 55 / 217Conflict2019

Tug of War

Year2019
Dimensions: 36" x 187" x 16" (chain length is variable)
CategoryConflict, Creatures
StatusIn a collection
Tug of War
Tug of War in motion
IN MOTION
Tug of War · running2019
The story
This image of two creatures struggling over the same goal is a metaphor that you can apply to whichever futility you personally engage with the most.

They were assembled from salvaged aircraft struts, but their design also owes something to the freight cranes that dominate the horizon near the Port of Oakland adjacent to my studio.

Every element was found — scrap yards, second-hand stores, dumpsters — then cleaned, stripped, sorted and rebuilt. Found aluminum is TIG-welded and sanded seamless; nothing is cast. The electronics are salvaged from consumer devices, repaired and rewired so the piece does something when you touch it.

Parts list

Materials

Everything in this piece had a previous life. Nemo’s own inventory, in his words.

: Aircraft struts, x-ray machine stand, motor, variac, chain, struts, steel, aluminum.