Ruled

2009

Sports & construction equipment

Chalk wall drawings

Ink on paper

Installation dimensions variable

Furthering their ongoing exploration of rules and regulations surrounding traditionally masculine activities, Type A examines sports and construction equipment to discover its intrinsic authority and aesthetic as well as its relationship to Minimalist sculpture. Otherwise innocuous pieces of plastic, rubber, string and metal carry with them expectations of reference, success and failure, dependability, competition and collaboration. Ruled is comprised of various ready-mades, ink on paper drawings, and chalk wall drawings.

As a static object, the plumb bob strains for the center of the earth — the definition of gravity — and carries within it a potential energy which, when released, moves in a simple harmonic motion that reflects the way in which it is released and the rotation of the earth. Used as a drawing device, the plumb bob becomes a simple pendulum that can make drawings. Each drawing illustrates the direction and, to a certain extent, the velocity with which the bobs were released. The character of the line shows how much contact was made between the pen and the paper. The results show a relationship between the plumb bob’s/pendulum’s displacement and its tendency towards equilibrium as well as the irregularities that arise when the simple motion meets interference.  In essence, each drawing shows the relationship of the variables that were in effect among the pen, paper, and individual throw of each member of Type A as he released the plumb bob.