German Household ornamental horsehalter mirror, paint and acrylic.
This last and final work is a return to furniture. This horse halter like many abandoned horse halters was re-appropriated for the home as a mirror. Many defunct horse halters were worked into furniture as a kind of nostalgic reminder of "the olden days", the chains are removed the straps unbuckled. I "painted" this piece by pulling it along the ground. The color has been added to record this forward movement. I was interested in the unbroken quality of this halter, and how it could move into the world re-purposed but with a discrete past. The other halters in the series were on blinkered horses, endlessly crossing the fields, forward and back. This one may have had similar usage but it is not apparent. I knew this piece needed to be on the floor when my Daughter planted a leg each side of the piece and looked down at her reflection with loud joy. The chant of this series had culminated. The kind of oratory articulation of these rather loud tools ended with this piece.
This piece is the last in a series of five works. I repeat works as I think if something is worth doing once it is worth doing six times. I have a hard work ethic that finds this way of working very satisfying. Repetition has a long history in the black vernacular of which I feel myself to be a part of. This last and final work is in fact a return to furniture. This horse halter like many abandoned horse halters was re-appropriated for the home as a mirror. Many defunct horse halters were worked into furniture as a kind of nostalgic reminder of days of yore. The chains were removed. Only a single buckle with no attachment remains at the top as like a rope for a mooring that has been untied. I "Painted" this piece by pulling it along the ground. The color has been added to record this forward movement, make it visible. Many see a boat in this piece. I was interested in the unbroken quality of this halter, and how it could move into the world re-purposed but with a discrete past that is not clear. The other halters in the series were on the flanks of blinkered horses going endlessly crossing the fields forward and back. This one may have had similar usage but it is not apparent. My daughter showed me what to do with this when she planted a leg each side of the piece whist it was still on the floor and looked down at her reflection with her loud joy. I knew this piece needed to be on the floor and that the chant of this series had culminated and the kind of oratory articulation of these rather loud tools was over.
