Jason Gabriel Smith (MFA 2009)
WORKBENCH: is not linear. There is no beginning or end to the discourse of its meaning. There is no one particular point of interest. Its meaning is broad and constantly changing, evolving. Its complexity is expressed simply. There are NO new ideas in WORKBENCH: only a recycling of timeless knowledge. Similar reads of this work are simply the result of popular thinking, and not the intent of the maker. WORKBENCH: evolved from ideas about perception, a point of view, if you will, of life in general and art specifically. Formally, as an object, WORKBENCH: is a “glorified” pedestal, an object upon which other objects are elevated. It is a simple frame construction with the dimensions of 2’ x 2’ x 2’ constructed of recycled two-by-fours and three-quarter-inch plywood. Occasionally, objects or tasks are placed on the WORKBENCH: but are not always necessary to the content of the piece. The tasks, monotonous, repetitive, and unending without achieving accomplishment, are not meant to be actual physical labor undertaken by the viewer but instead are meant as a reflection of a desire to do or avoid such actions, and to ask yourself, “why?”