In Straitened Times -  a site specific work for  the show:  One That Holds Everything,  in St Pancras Church Crypt, Euston Rd. 

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The building is a classical revival style church famous for its north and south porches with caryatids modelled on the Eryctheion -part of the Acropolis, Athens. 

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Prior to making the piece I had visited Athens for the Documenta art fair. In 2017 Greece was in the midst of a debt crisis with public services cut back due to fiscal restrains imposed by the European Central Bank. I was shocked by the poverty and  neglect in the city. Many unemployed middle class residents had taken to begging and busking in the street, so dire was the economic situation. 

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My piece was an abstracted depiction of a caryatid. The caryatid is a symbolic motif -  a handmaid subservient to the dead King. She would make offerings on his behalf in the temple dedicated to him.  Architecturally, the caryatid performs the function of a column in Greek classical temples.

 

My 'column' was suspended in mid air - no longer supporting the roof of the building:  an empty, useless symbol. It was constructed from many metres of limp fabric - with steel rings as support. At its foot was a small offering/begging bowl.  The piece also related to that of a performance work by another artist in the show: Antonis Sideras  

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