NORDBY BUILDING DIRECTIVE(INTERSECTION)
1993
enamel and oil on wood and metal
45.5 x 66 x 40.5cm
18 x 26 x 16 inches
CLUMSY'S COMMENT
NORDBY BUILDING DIRECTIVE (1993) was the first ‘Intersection-type’ sculpture that I made. It was inspired by a directional sign for the Nordby Conference Building I saw while exploring the Port of Seattle in 1992. Because Seattle is my birthplace, the sculpture took on an autobiographical aspect. As I wandered around the port that day, I flashed upon my memory of visiting the port and nearby Ballard Locks as a child with my father in the 1960s. The sculpture itself is an awkward open matrix of wood and metal signs and support struts. I think of it as a cloud of memory and associations in which the space around and within is as important as the materials. The notion of signs and labels is interesting to me…how specific and poetic these names can be even in the context of function. Who is this guy Nordby anyway? Why is this building named after him? Since then, I’ve made probably fifteen Intersection sculptures, with themes ranging from “schools I’ve attended” to “traumatic experiences.” -Greg Colson
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Greg Colson's work is often completed by various "conflicting gestures". He attempts to "allow the rational systems he depicts to be disrupted and contradicted by the material and physical contexts they are placed in." Whether his 'conflicting gestures' question the contradictions in our society or express the paradox inherent in our lives, he seems to propose a contemplation. Colson often uses standardized systems (maps, charts, floor plans, etc.) and seemingly comments on the intrinsic contradiction that lies in the rational foundation of our society. But this is neither cynicism nor criticism. It rather leads to a unique viewpoint of his own, a playful stare. Each artist possesses or creates his/her own unique contradiction. When Colson reacts to the world's inherent paradox with his own contradictory 'gestures,' a certain equilibrium seems to be reached. This might be the reason why his work feels like a contemplation rather than an argument.
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