How would a comb that cannot untangle hair look? You can make the object dangerous, humorous, useless, sinister. -Christina Ramberg.
Alan Constable’s cameras are real ‘things’; they command constant attention from their audience and from their lucky owners. The resemblance of these sculptures to cameras is a starting point more than an end point, in the same way a swelling foot as painted by Phillip Guston behaves unlike any sensible foot, or a collage of a doorway by James Castle exceeds the expectation its structural simplicity presents.
Constable’s sculpture makes malleable mischief of both the form and function of the camera. In his hands it becomes an anthropomorphic character with endless variations and possibility. Specific types are modeled in clay from magazine advertisements with apt abbreviation and gesture, then glazed and fired in solid, sometimes soupy colors that further activate their surfaces and transform their sober dispositions.
The glazed surfaces are embellished with details so specific and beautiful they necessitate a tactile engagement with the object. As ‘things’ they still buzz with the handling and energy Constable employs in their making. Dials formed separately and thumbed into position, viewfinder windows cut directly through surfaces together with an oversized scale give Constable’s cameras the feeling of buildings or vessels. Scribed lines articulate both panels and seams, skewed inscriptions indicate model and make: all this information registers with efficiency to produce compelling objects.
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MORE INFORMATION
For more details contact Ryan Conder – [email protected]. The show will run from Sat May 4th till June 2nd with Bob’s donuts and coffee served between 4-6 on Sat 4th May. Constable is also participating in ‘Outsiderism’ curated by Alex Baker at Fleisher Ollman gallery in Philadelphia this month.
SALES
All the cameras are for sale unless otherwise stated. For sales enquiries, please contact Ryan Conder at South Willard.
