Creed, Martin
Using primarily 'everyday' and 'mundane' materials, Martin Creed consciously avoids making 'aesthetic-led' decisions when creating a piece. He numbers each of his works according to a non-linear system that is unrelated to typical structures of time and meaning. Once a number is assigned it is never used again. 'Work No.135', made from aluminium, cement, plaster and emulsion, is described as 'a protrusion from a wall.' Each work by Creed can be seen as an attempt to make something extra for the world; in this work something was created for the wall, by using the same material as the wall. Creed describes this work, using the following formula: the whole world + the work = the whole world.
The artist explains:"The more I write to make things clear, the more difficult it becomes to see. The words form a curtain obscuring my view. The blobby world of thoughts and feelings is not defined, but the world in words is too defined: they are a certain shape. I don’t want to be pinned down. I’m not running out of things to say, but running into things to say. They are obstacles. Words are hard, but the world is soft. Everything in the world is joined to everything else in the world and you can't help it. When you're working you can't separate things out. The whole world + the work = the whole world. If this work works you can't see the join.”
- Artwork Details: 50.8 x 50.8 x 25.4cm
- Edition:
- Material description: aluminium, cement, plaster and emulsion
- Credit line: © the artist
- Theme: Interior
- Medium:
- Accession number: ACC41/1995