While walking back to the bench where R waited for me, I glanced over at “I went to see” and saw I had missed walking to the backside of the sculpture. While working with Preservation in Mississippi, one of the things I learned from Malvaney was to check out the backside of a building for additional clues. I had not thought to see what was the backside of this sculpture, and should not have been surprised to see the detail of the musculature.
I went to see so you can see me!
The detail present in the steel ropes is just fascinating to me, and I can see this man skin-on as the sweat glistens on his muscles as he rows. Now that to me represents the artist truly inviting you into the creation!
Another detail was the verdigris emphasis on the hands.
Hand-made copper elements accent most works, usually highlighting the expressiveness of the hands. Once this process is finalized and oxidation has begun the sculpture is then completed in the presence of the viewer.
It is an important reminder that we do not always see everything in the first look. If I went back yet again, what might I see that I had missed, or not understood the first time? We may seldom look at the back of a building, but from Malvaney, I learned how important it is. The condition of the building’s back, the type of bricks or other material, can give you important clues about what you are seeing.
How incredible to think each person who views this work is helping to complete it!
Yesterday at the park, R had some difficult moments requiring quite a few rest stops. All in all, we had 30 minutes of active walking and covered a mile. It was really warm, and though most of the trail was in shade, there was no breeze. While I had seen the big blue eye the first day we walked, I had not photographed it. While he was resting in the shade on a bench, I walked a little further up and investigated.
The sculptor is Earl Dismuke, from Mississippi. He was born in Winona, a small rural town south of Oxford, but now lives in Oxford where he has his studio. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture. His first exposure to public art was during a trip to Chicago. He co-founded the Yokna Sculpture Trail.
Growing up in rural Mississippi, I had never been exposed to public art on that scale. I returned home inspired to transform my home state of Mississippi into an art destination. …my work tells my story, but I like to leave enough ambiguity in the work that the audience can make their own interpretations. By inviting the viewer to interpret what the work means or what the artist was thinking, the viewer is forced to bring something of themselves into the work.
Earl Dismuke: Outdoor Public Sculpture Exhibition. March 19, 2022. Mississippi State University College of Architecture, Art and Design.
Dismuke uses found objects and recycled fabrication in his works of welded steel and paint. Of this piece, which he named “Big Dreamer” he alluded to the repeated circular patterns as the continuity of life. He said the eyes are often referred to as “gateway to the soul” and thus can represent knowledge seeking and focus.
Am I making myself clear?
Even before he “invited me as the viewer” to interpret my own meaning, I had done so of course. When I first saw this, I thought of a basketball goal on a court. Not because it particularly looked like one, but because that was what the image evoked from me. I did interpret the eye as an eye, but it had no bearing on my focus or seeking meaning, at least not consciously. In fact, the eye almost reminded me of an outdoor hoop that has lost its netting and circular shape, a football with loose laces. The circles resembled netting, the white circle a backboard minus its center and I fantasized trying to toss a ball through the square and the smaller circle. Perhaps even, I surmised an alien basketball player, a male/female looking for the rest of the team, or even inviting me to play. How’s that for “binding the viewer and the artist together”?
When I spied this new sculpture in the distance, my thought was hurricane? Tornado? The woman I was talking with later about it suggested earthquake. Jen Torres, originally from Queens, NY and for the last 24 years, Hattiesburg, MS called it “When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense.” I can see that from a different perspective when I saw her artist statement, which also included the comment:
…I believe a primary function of art is to be obstruent, to trip one up, to force the viewer and artist alike to have to respond, think, to be moved. The direction is of no consequence. The movement is everything.
I am theorizing that this sculpture then was intended to trip me up, to force me to think, respond, be moved, no matter which way I chose, since “the movement is everything.” If I had not reacted (i.e. been moved) then it would not have served as an obstruent. Here lies my ‘tripping up’. A simple explanation could have been hurricane, tornado, or even earthquake. I was curious: why did the artist concoct a series of boxes that look like a jumble of barns, sheds, and houses on stilts? How does obstruent fit in?
Basically, obstruent is terminology used in understanding the phonology of language sounds. Examples are k, d, or f, formed by the obstruction of airflow. The airflow obstruction can be complete closure or less closure. There is an entire science of study of language sounds in a variety of languages other than English. If one voiced the sound of k, d, or f, for example, you would be using the function of obstruent to make that sound. It’s complicated, right? So the more I sought to figure out how art is obstruent, the greater my curiosity about those houses. I majored in Speech and Theatre in undergraduate studies, and we spent a good deal of that time learning phonetics and using it to speak and understand language through transcription of the sound of words into phonetics. Certainly speech is an art form, and the actor or actress uses speech to convey meaning. My role as the mother in Rashomon was greatly benefited from use of phonetics to learn to convey meaning in the parts of the play that used Japanese words in order to create authenticity as the Japanese mother.
What does obstruent convey in this piece of art titled “When Home No Longer Makes Any Sense”? How does it ‘trip you up’? How do you think about it? Do you respond? Are you moved? If so, where and how? What did that movement teach you?
As I sought to photograph the sculpture from various angles and heights, quite accidentally and unintentionally I saw where I had photographed the two men on the path beyond. I had seen them here walking before, and surmised they were father and son, but that is only my interpretation. Perhaps, they are the obstruent sounds in the language attached to this piece.
R decided he wanted to walk around the lake today. It had been cold and raining this morning, but it had stopped and the sun came out. It was still cool and very breezy however. About halfway around, he needed to stop and rest. The Canadian Geese were quiet today, mostly feeding, and none were in the lake itself.
One actually walks around only 3 “sides” of the lake on the trail, so it was more akin to walking across the end of the park the last portion…uphill and then downhill and then up the steps to the car on the upper parking level. Today was a .84 mile walk and 28 minutes. There were folks picnicking, studying, lying in the sun in shorts and strapless tops (don’t know why–it was pretty chilly out there!), and walking their dogs.
I loved this sculpture! I imagine the deep waters of the ocean surrounding him, setting out in his tiny boat to see what is out there beyond his eyesight. This sculpture is titled “I Went to See” by J. Aaron Alderman of Brevard, NC.
As an artist and a sculptor, I use the repetition of simple lines, in the form of round stock steel, to capture a tender emotional expression of the human and animal form. Through this highly physical process I am driven to create sculptures that are ego-less, expressive in their form, emotive and connective. With simple tools I draw in space, repeating stylized lines, which in-turn creates the structure of my sculptures. As each line captures the contours and musculature of the body, these same lines begin to tell a subtle story. Each line builds on the next, flowing with rhythm and pattern, the form is revealed, and the story builds along with the rawness of emotion.
Space Cowboy (also known as Boldly Go Rodeo) by John Wolrod
I called him Rocket Man, since he had no identification on site. I did note the Cowboy hat and he is astride the rocket. Click on the photos below and see what he is made from! I love the outdoor sculptures and keep thinking I need to take up welding and make my own.
We did well today! It was very cool (low 60s) with a chilling wind blowing and no sunshine. We made it to the second bench and R rested while I took some photos. Then, all the way around to the 4th bench before another rest! We cut across the grass again to get to the trail on the other side as it was a straighter, shorter path and the ground is even. Today was a .92 mi walk for 32:04! Total steps for the day were 4,134 for 1.78 miles. After the walk, we stopped at CVS and fought the traffic to get back home. Bad Boy Morgan Wallen is here to make up the concert he cancelled last spring. It was supposed to be in the stadium, but it started to rain so they moved it to the basketball pavilion. I am not sure how many it holds, but it is very big and we had graduation for School of Applied Sciences there since it was built, so I guess it’ll do. I don’t think electrical music instruments mix well with rain. Let’s just say the crowds were horrible all over town. I took the back way to the park and missed most of it, but since we needed to stop at CVS, there was no option for return except by the busy avenue.
Dragon Fire Chai from Sri Lanka and Rakkasan Tea
My order from Rakkasan came in today. It was cold and raining, so a perfect day to try the new Dragon Fire. It is a spiced chai made by blending strong black tea with locally grown hot chili peppers and adding cinnamon and nutmeg. It was amazing with a little raw sugar and warm milk.
Must go feed the doggies and then feed my humans. Also because it is a cold and rainy day, I am having Pzole for supper. Yum!
It was very cool this morning, and overcast yet again but we went to walk at the park again. R has dropped to 2 days per week of PT and is to walk on the other days. His walk today was better than last Sunday and he was able to do a total of half mile again. We took a slightly different path today and cut across to the other side of the park. This view is from the bench looking south west. He has to rest his leg a while before he can return to the car, but it is nice also just to sit on the bench and talk. We walked across the grass to connect to the opposite path this time. However, he is doing much better with the medication change, and can do all his self-care now. Still, by the time we do PT or walk, it seems like the day is almost gone again!
I’m off to make a pharmacy run again (this time for me!) and then before you know it, my day is vanishing into night. I think I can get back on track by the end of the month!
It was a bit windy but we went to Lamar Park again yesterday to walk. We broke the record from the two previous walks…underwhelmingly. R was having a difficult day with the muscles around his hip and we managed only a short .13 walk to the fishing pier. Children under 15 and disabled of any age can fish in Lake Patsy. The sign is very specific about what is a disability: permanent disability requiring use of a wheelchair or crutches. We counted two children who were obviously under age 15…and 5 adults who walked without any assistive devices including two who parked in the handicapped parking next to the lake without hang tag or license plate. Given that I have never ever seen anyone actually catch a fish from this “lake” which is the old water hazard from when this was the country club, I am uncertain why people even come here to fish. I guess one of my biggest peeves is people who park in handicapped parking when they are not disabled, and do not have the appropriate indicators on the vehicle. I think it is a holdover from when I was walking with two canes, struggling mightily uphill and downhill on campus and yet would see unmarked vehicles in handicapped spaces, which were seldom near where you needed to go. I have a vivid memory of a young woman pulling up to the only handicapped space in front of a building in which I taught after having literally dragged myself all the way across campus toting my rolling book bag in one hand and a cane in the other. She had a hang tag this time, but hopped out of the red sports car wearing sky high stiletto heels and short shorts, also in matching red, and literally sprinted into the building. Yesterday on passing the handicapped space while going back to our car, of the 5 vehicles parked in the 5 parking spaces, only 1 had a hang tag. It is one of the few things in life I am generally willing to “make a big deal” about, because for some people, life is not a walk in the park.
We made it back to a bench where R had to sit for a while before we could make it all the way back to the car. He has had a fairly rough time since then. The bruising along his leg and the swelling–no matter how much he ices and elevates is still really uncomfortable. However, we go back to the doctor tomorrow morning for his post op checkup and I am hoping he will have some answers and some help. R is guessing that his inability to take NSAIDs for the inflammation is having an impact.
Yesterday was a beautiful day, slight breeze, blue skies, and sunshine to the tune of mid 80s. I took R to get his hair cut since it had rained on the day we planned. After that, we went to the Pat Lamar Park–my favorite place to walk. Because he is walking with the cane now, it was a much easier walk to the first bench and a rest. It was less busy than the first time we had gone, although one adolescent on an e-bike riding on the sidewalk whizzed by me without warning and almost ran into me from behind before he swerved. We did not hear him approaching.
Gemini, by Adam Walls, Tryon, NC
I saw this sculpture in the distance and realized they had rotated the outdoor art since the last time I was at the park. This is part of the Yokna Sculpture Trail for outdoor art. This was not far from the bench so we walked up to it so I could get a photograph. From there, we headed back to the car for a total of .42 mile. On the return walk, a boy of about 3 or 4 was coasting his scooter downhill toward us, and a girl of 6 or so behind him on her bicycle. Both were wearing helmets, which always makes me happy. She smiled and said, “Excuse us please” as they approached and we stepped aside. I was impressed. A couple were close behind walking and spoke. I asked it they were their children and she said yes. I said they were very polite and excused themselves. (She probably thought I was going to complain, right?). She said she was glad to hear that and I really appreciated that the children were polite. You can still be a kid and have fun and be courteous. Those children do not likely realize it now, but good manners will pay off in the long run.
I went down the bunny hole of genealogy research while R was icing after his walk, along with a load of laundry so I picked up burgers and we watched a movie. The house is still a disaster area and the front yard looks like we have abandoned the homestead, but things are slowly getting back to normal. It is another beautiful sunny day. We’ll see what this one brings.
I decided to make a chocolate bread pudding a couple of days ago. This somewhat decadent tasting pudding reminds me of a molten lava cake. It calls for Texas Toast bread, which is a thicker slice.
Chocolate chips, butter, and brown sugar
My favorite part is the quick and easy: just melt chocolate chips with a stick of butter and a cup of dark brown sugar.
Folding in the chocolate mixture
Fold in the chocolate mixture and bake for an hour. What could be better and simpler?
Individual bread puddings
I had a little bit more than would fit in the pan I was using, so I made individual puddings in the muffin tin. They only needed half the cooking time, and were just a perfect size for a snack, cleverly called “taste testing.” While waiting on the baking, I enjoyed a cup of Big Hibiscus and painted the first coat of paint on the rocks for the attempt to recreate the rock I broke at the vet’s office.
Yesterday was a PT day, so not much else gets done. It was a beautiful sunny day, which of course, smelled a lot like barbeque. While Randy was at PT, I went over to the nearby Tractor Supply for pill pockets for the dog meds, but they did not have any…so I wiled away a few minutes looking at the baby chicks and gardening supplies. I bought two garden rakes that I think will help me keep the leaves out of the French drain in the back yard and out of the rock path in the front yard. As the saying goes, “We shall see.” After I got R home and settled in, I had to return to town to get pill pockets and gas up the Rav. Between 4-5:30 the traffic is usually fierce (Oxford is growing faster than its infrastructure) so it took a while. When I got home, it was a few minutes after 6 and the dogs were dancing to be fed.
Back in February, I wrote a post about the development going on in the woods next to our property, and my concerns about burning the felled trees and brush when the wind was high and the fire unattended at night. I will not repeat those concerns here other than to say throughout those few days, the smoke was so thick the dogs did not want to be outside, Randy was wearing a mask inside the house, and I kept a continuous watch. There is nothing but dead leaves, dead trees, and dead grass between that fire pit and our house. The company has a legal burn permit, and are in compliance with the county regulation as far as a deep pit to contain the fire and wide enough to prevent it jumping, per the fire department. They (also per the fire department) have a bulldozer and appropriate equipment on site. What they did not have at that time was a person on site monitoring the burn after the crew left at quitting time and I spent several nights checking to see nothing between here and there was on fire.
Time Passes…
The noise of heavy machinery and beeping greeted me this morning when I went out with Reggie, and then I saw the boom of the heavy equipment over the top of the fence. I felt the dread creeping over me.
By the time I got the dogs fed and out to do their business and back in the house, and went out to feed the cats, this greeted me. Yes, they are back.
Squeaky was asleep in the chair on the porch and when I stepped up he bolted in surprise and leapt off the porch. I could see his fur was a mess. As soon as he saw it was me, he came up to eat. He was not wet, but clearly had been, and looked to have either been in mud, or else doused in something. It reminded me of how Reggie had looked when the sheriff brought him. During bad weather as we have had of late, it is not unusual for Squeaky not to show up for mealtime. I have no idea if he actually has a home, but after all this time, he knows he is safe here (unless startled, obviously!) and often sleeps under J’s porch. Even during rain and winter, I have never seen him looking like this.
I was in my bathrobe over my pjs and had on my outside tennis shoes, but still, I lifted up the hem of my robe to keep it from dragging brush and thus encouraging ticks to jump on for a ride and walked up the hill toward the easement…
They had just poured excelerant on the wood and set fire as I started up the rise. I probably do not need to tell you what happens when you put excelerant on wood that has been exposed to 4 days of heavy rain, but just in case–wet wood if you set it on fire will smoke–black, thick, and heavy. Now while it was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and sunshine, the wind was blowing and before I even got back in the house, smoke and ash were drifting over and filling our yard and air. Ash fell all day and every time I took dogs out, it would collect on my clothing and in my nostrils. A haze hung over the front yard, highway, and across the road into the woods on that side most of the day and it smelled like a barbeque, albeit one started with lighter fluid, all day long.
In conclusion, let me just say this: Yes, I know development will continue to occur, and it was only a matter of time before it impacted us. They are developing right and left of us between here and Oxford (a distance of 2 miles to the city limits). The orange glow at sunset was not from the sun, but from the remnants of the fire. I would just sleep a lot better if Smokey the Bear was on duty tonight.
Eclectic Mix of Genealogy, Bipolar Depression, Mental Health, Mental Illness, DNA, History, First Nations (aka Native Americans), Military History, World War II, Cemeteries, CrowdFunding, Christianity, Authors/Writing, and Gaming (RPGs, Board Games, Wargames, etc.).
All photographs are original images with all rights reserved unless otherwise credited. Kindly request permission prior to using.
Suzassippi's Lottabusha County Chronicles 