The Writer… Sculpture by Giancarlo Neri
At first sight, it caught me by surprise…. it really is a ginormous table and chair.
Some say he made the sculpture to accent the loneliness of writing.
Some say he created it to magnify writer’s block. Some say it is a waste; excess.
Giancarlo Neri, himself, says,
“I will say that The Writer was prompted by the idea of the writer’s condition: that in order to write about people and life, they actually have to set themselves apart. Of course, much thought went into the look, the colour, the style, but the idea is that it should suggest nothing in particular. It’s as ordinary as possible. I think of it as a stage set waiting for actors who never come. In that sense, it’s interactive.”
“It’s almost a reminder of the heath’s hidden heroes, and hopefully will encourage new young budding artists and writers,” Neri told the BBC.
Set apart. I love this idea of an invisible giant’s table and chair that turns writing into something set apart; that it expresses his view of a writer in 30 feet of wood and 7 tons of steel.
I see it a bit differently.
The enormity of the desk represents, to me, how daunting it sometimes feels when you sit down to write. Even in this age of laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
Writing becomes larger than life. The author feels small. The desk looms large.
The desk is actively waiting and anticipating the writer yet also whispering doubt.
We all have this invisible side kick that breathes fear and doubt in our ear when we attempt to pursue our dream. No matter where your ‘work place’ is, God is bigger than this desk.
Even if your ‘desk’ is your home, your children, motherhood, your health, your art, your work, or your homeschool. I think the thing that is hard for most people, me included, is finding your ‘desk’ and then having the courage to climb on.
Doesn’t the act of writing make you a writer? What about the act mothering? Aren’t we all artists? We were all created by An Artist, in His image, with talents designed to glorify Him. We have it in us to create.
And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze… Exodus 35: 31-32
Sometimes we just need to start. (I highly recommend the book, Start by Jon Acuff.)
n 1the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, ….. producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power
“Art is when we do work that matters in a creative way, in a way that touches [people] and changes them for the better.” Seth Godin
Art is reinventing yourself every time you create something. Expressing yourself is vulnerable and vulnerability takes courage.
I admire Giancarlo Neri for that.
Go and Be vulnerable! (With whatever it is you do.)
Check out Neri’s work for yourself. To see a video of it being built and to get a better perspective, go to:
http://www.giancarloneri.com/
Click video at bottom
Click The Writer
Although the meaning of the table and chair can be interpreted differently, if you look at his sculptured art photos on his website, you can see he does have a thing for chairs. 🙂
What are your thoughts?
