Within one action there are many gestures
Brian Groombridge
July 11 – September 30, 1990
Brian Groombridge, Within one action there are many gestures, 1990; steel I-beam, 20' H; Carpenter's squares: stainless steel; 24" H x 16" L x 1" W
Artist Statement
The square has historically symbolized the four elements, the four seasons, the four stages of Man's life and the four points of a compass.
Two carpenter's squares of stainless steel are suspended on a branch at the ten-foot point of an I-beam. This steel I-beam, a traditional support structure in architecture, rises 20 feet above the ground. The I-beam may refer to the classical column, which evolved from the tree-pillar in ancient times. The sculpture has been kept to a modest scale which can be easily grasped by the eye and the hand, and which complements the scale of the surrounding buildings.
The carpenter's square may be seen as a humble but powerful symbol of change. The squares correspond to a real and tangible scale, where the 1/8, ¼, ½ inch and foot markings measure the small increments from which larger elements will grow. The structure refers to the initial moments of planning and building, the quiet moments of discovery, where modest gestures begin to connect elements that were previously separate.
The structure refers to the process of change and how things are connected, where progression and momentum are implicit. In a world composed of a multitude of large and small systems, separate units become organized, formalized and finally, connected. The squares also form a frame or window onto the site.
There is an attempt to create a dynamic between structural elements and gestural qualities, something I try to achieve in all my work. The more one looks, the more is revealed.
