Angelo Arnold: Displaced

Angelo Arnold creates quirky objects by deconstructing functional domestic forms, such as furniture, and reassembling the constituent parts to the point of dysfunction. In his newest body of work he charts a new direction on the same course—repurposing vernacular forms to be highly functional objects of a new kind.

The Sky is Crying takes the form of an attic or roof, standing it on its head and transforming it into a water collection trough. In Stowaway Arnold adapts what appears to be some type of industrial smokestack into a giant bottle. Both sculptures underscore the fact that water conservation is imperative. They suggest playfully that with a bit of ingenuity, we could incorporate water-saving devices into our built environment. The serious issues of water pollution and global access to potable water coexist with delightful visual puns. The vessels are made of wood, foam, and brick-patterned cloth. Neither could possibly hold water.    — Mara Williams, Chief Curator

Water has affected me since I was a child. It is tranquil and terrifying in equal measure. These two pieces are about our relationship with water. We live in a changing environment yet we refuse to change, paying the ultimate price with our lives and our homes, or thanking unknown forces for providence and privilege. This is our contradiction to own, to accept, and to change. — Angelo Arnold

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.