Galleries - Interventions/Environmental Art - Factory

Factory. Located on the old Krug Factory Site in Chesley, Ontario. Boulders placed upon left over structural elements of the old factory. 100 yards long. This ongoing installation/performance, although exhibiting many of the characteristics of environmental art, also references Minimalist/conceptual artists such as Carl Andre. Begun as a homage to the builders of neolithic earthworks (many of the boulders are very heavy and must be carried a distance to be placed on the columns), the piece took on a life of its own as other travellers, walking the same route have begun to subtract boulders, or replace them with other objects - bark, small stones, coins. This disruption/vandalism forces me to continue to work on a consistent basis to replace any boulders taken or knocked off the structures. This continual battle against entropy/disruption has become more relevant to the old factory site, than my original aesthetic goal. The piece has become my "regular work' as I continue to maintain the "Factory". The work is anonymous to other travellers and their involvement in the piece continues to drive the "issue" of work, and for many "meaningless work". On some level, the piece mirrors, through time, the now forgotten workers of the Krug Factory and some of the elements inherent in Marxism and the concept of labour and value.
© 1988 - 2024 Paul Richard James