Two Wisconsin artists are turning a nursery rhyme icon into a political statement on the grounds of Evanston Art Center.
The center’s newest installation in its Sculpture on the Ground series will feature a large-scale wooden bucket designed by Gail Simpson and Aristotle Georgiades. The piece opens Aug. 2 and will remain on the lawn through the spring of 2010.
The sculpture is comprised of a wooden bucket, inspired by the children’s rhyme “Jack and Jill,” tipped over and spilling its contents. The spill resembles a flood, on which a group of houses float downstream.
Simpson, one half of the husband-and-wife duo who make up Actual Size Artworks, said art projects are often particular to current national or global events, and this one is no exception.
“It’s our response to the current economic climate and how the current economic climate seems to be destabilizing communities,” she said. “I know lots of people who are affected by it in lots of ways. Its hard not to respond to something like that. I would say it’s a response as a citizen-slash-artist.”
The center looks for pieces that remain contemporary without necessarily bearing a political message, said Beth Hart, chairman of exhibitions committee for the Evanston Art Center.
“This year it’s particularly interesting because it’s also time-specific, being that it relates to the housing crisis,” she said.
The piece is named “Trickledown,” a title Georgiades said is evocative of former President Ronald Reagan’s supply-side economic theory.
“(The piece) sort of became topical after seeing what’s going on with this current financial situation, and hoping that this would be the tail end of Reagonomics,” he said.
Georgiades said he and Simpson often try to fuse humor into a political message for their installation pieces.
“We try not to be too heavy handed when we do public work,” he said. “Our public works generally use large iconic images, not abstract. They’re certainly not as sarcastic as Jeff Koons, but we definitely try to be more light-hearted.”
While researching the idea of using a bucket as an image, Georgiades said he found old illustrations of the “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme, and thought it appealed to the kid-friendly atmosphere at the Evanston Art Center.
In an older project, the Actual Size artists used an oversized wooden pig, named “Trojan Piggy Bank,” to deliver commentary on the United States’ foreign relations in Iraq.
“It coincided with the original invasion of Iraq and how we have the tendency to force our ideas on the rest of the world,” Georgiades said. “When we have the chance to do exhibits on a shorter span of time, it gives us the chance to do something more topical, something more current.”
When the Actual Size artists chose the building materials, Simpson said they strove to create a juxtaposition between something nostalgic with something contemporary.
“We always try to match the materials to the nature of the work, and to the expressive quality of the work,” Simpson said. “We wanted the bucket to have an old fashioned, storybook appearance, so that’s why we used the wood for the bucket.” The floating houses are steel constructions, and the stream is made from recycled plastic edging and landscape materials. The sculpture took three months to build.
“In addition to being very creative, (Georgiades and Simpson) are very good craftsmen,” Hart said.
Georgiades and Simpson will begin the installation July 26. The opening reception will be held Aug. 2 and is open to the public.
