This work was intended to pay homage to Bob & Roberta Smith, and one of the starting points for this whole project. I regard it as a sketchbook work which has allowed me to explore material and modes of presentation. Much of this project have been about creating works that are meditative with a somewhat Isolate atmosphere. But as the project has progressed I’ve been planning ways to bring in some of my experience from social arts projects to think about how boats could be made in community and speak to themes of community.
Connected to this idea is the way Bob often uses tone and a casual conversational style in his works to create a sense of a conversation. Its like he’s always trying to impart something. His works are accessible without being didactic- as you might imagine a practice primarly centered around signmaking to be.
Bob’s concrete boats were first made in ’96 but he remade one in 2017 as part of an online video teaching series. I thought it was interesting to explore this form… so I did the same, uploading a video to my own YouTube channel which demanded a more casual tone and focus on the DIY production than being a ‘work’ as such.
Jim Lockey 