Tuesday, April 8, 2008

ron paul signs enter the twilight zone



Shelter no.1 from the series: Things to do with Ron Paul signs left by the side of the road. Original dimensions 24' x 36'; current dimensions 24' x 5.5' x 14'. Acrylic on found object. m.o.i. 2008

The impetus for this remake of the Ron Paul sign was the Army Corps of Engineers logo. It seemed fitting for a number of reasons.

Both Paul and the Corps seem intractable. There's lots of talking around ideas, but once you bore down into them, they seem to be offering the same idea, over and over, just slightly repackaged. Insular. Myopic. Fearful of change. I got an email from some Corps dude recently and he described a meeting as an "opportunity to create situational awareness". More than a few 9th-Wardians wish the Corps had a little more situational awareness prior to Katrina.

You'll notice there are no doors and no drawbridge on either the Paul castle or the Corp castle logo. OK, I stand corrected. The Corps logo does have a door, it's just guarded by toy soldiers. If you're not already inside, you can't enter, and once you enter, there's no leaving. Perhaps I should rename the piece, Twilight Zone.

The original Pual sign was recovered from a ravine adjacent to a suburban McMansion development called The Wilderness, the name of which refers to what was in place before being replaced by lawns manufactured by ChemGrow. Battle stations honey -- the dandelions are advancing! and Survivor is on in 10 minutes.

elsewhere:
m.o.i.: belief change
m.o.i.: the caucus badge

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