Saturday, June 05, 2004

Potty Art No.2


There comes a time in the development of every artist that he or she has to come to terms with certain aspects of their heritage. This point came to me when collaborating with the French artist/Gallerist and all round poof Thomas Charveriat. We were pondering over a juried show that we were thinking of submitting a piece to where the theme was Water. Water somehow had to be addressed in the works for this show. So we sat and thought and after much discussion decided that we were both ready to try and add our names to the pantheon of great artists that had dared to go against convention and create some potty art. Potty art is by definition a work of art that somehow addresses the human functions of urinating and or defecating, that's peeing and pooping to all you phillistines. Thomas had suggested we do a crucifix with blood pouring out of the scars, which would've addressed the water criteria, but then we both decided no, now was the time to become apart of that illustrious movement, Potty art.


First we needed an assistant, or co-conspirator rather, well ok a victim and it came in the form of the beautiful Danish national who also has the misfortune of being my girlfriend, Jona Borrut. I remember it like it was yesterday, a beautiful sunday morning and I role over and say to Jona, "Honey... I have an idea.". She should've ran then, but she didn't and hence she has become the muse of all muses in Potty art. We went up to the studio and I explained in a calm soothing voice eeerrrrmmm..... uuuughhh... exactly what was necessary. Which was basically for her to pose as if she was taking a leak on the sidewalk in some urban environment, she took it like a champ and we had our source material for the next great step in Potty art.

This photo was censored for all the sad perves that kept googling it for kicks, use your imagination.

The next step was to take that material and transform it into a two dimensional drawing in steel where every place that skin was exposed you had a plate of PVC cut to the exact dimensions of said exposed skin and mounted on to the scaffolding that is formed by the drawing in steel.



We then mounted two servi motors and a speaker on to the back of the head. The speaker carries the uncertain voice of Ms. Borrut who beseeches the viewer to inform her the moment anyone comes into view. The motors control the eyes, which dart furtively back and forth and the mouth or lower jaw rather which is synchronized to move in tandem with the recording to give the impression that the statue is actually speaking. Downstairs, the supposed genitalia, we hooked up the windshield wiper pump from my 1982 Volkswagen Golf which on command releases a very realistic stream of water with a touch of yellow dye added.


The base is a large wooden box that is covered by asphalt to give the impression of being on the street, in the middle of the box we have installed a drain, a proper drain that one might find on any street corner. When the statue urinates the water falls into the drain and goes into a reservoir that we have parked in the base and then the water is pumped back up a small transparent tube which is wired to the backside of the leg of the statue.

When a button on the front right corner of the box is pushed it sets into motion a sequence that lasts about 45 seconds which involves the lovely Ms. Borrut's beseeching voice, darting eyes, wagging jaw and and the windshield wiper pumping yellow water all working in unison to give the impression of a lovely young woman caught in the somewhat vulnerable act of having through desperation to urinate on the street. In the Background we have created a lightbox one meter eighty high and one meter thirty five across with a duratrans image of a street scene illuminated from behind to further the idea. A very entertaining video of this project can be seen here.
  • Awkward Moment No.2
  • It was filmed by Fabrice Amzel who did a lot of work with Thomas and I and we will forever be indebted to him.


    Or you can view it on youtube.



    A lovely little box created by young doctor Thomas "Frankenstein" Charveriat that orchestrates and controls the movements and sound of "Awkward Moment No.2"


    Professed rabid supporters, the wife of former president of the Generalitat Jordi Pujol and the former Minister of Culture of Catalunya



    A technical rider of the piece.