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In this sculptural installation by David Hannan consumerist ideology and society’s worship of The Object are challenged.

A one-inch thick sheet of rusting iron hangs inches above the ground, incongruously suspended by thin wires. The iron slab appears weightless while retaining its inherently monumental nature. Cut out from the sheet is the shape of a falling bird. Barely perceptible from the side and affixed to its back is a green shelf upon which sits a miniature tree accompanied by a Starbucks travel mug and a disposable plastic food container. Upon closer examination the iron panel reveals its ersatz nature. It is, in fact a piece of MDF (medium density fiber board) with a faux finish of rusting iron.

The iron floats while the bird falls. A demonstration of Industry’s absurd desire to remain aloof to the imbalance created in the name of profit at any cost. The tiny tree dwarfed by the travel mug and disposable food container graphically illustrates the priorities of our consumerist society. The tree sits on the shelf along with the mug and container implying that it too has become a commodity. They are obscured behind an “iron” façade that remains afloat as it rusts.

This is David Hannan’s second installation at Roadside Attractions. He is currently showing at The National Museum of the American Indian in New York City in Remix: New Modernities in a Post Indian World.

Getting there:

For more information contact: Roy Kohn
Phone: 416-538-3997
Email: info@weseeinc.com

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