I thought his first piece (Mandala of the B-Bodhisattva II) was the most accessible. It incorporates all of the major elements his work is influenced by. The piece is a 16x16 foot hand-carved linoleum mat meant to represent a Mandala. The mat was originally used for a dance competition and was later shown (scuff-marks and all) in several museums where time was allotted for people to dance on it. Biggers made an interesting point that, while the pattern of the mat is referencing a Mandala (used in Buddhist rituals/meditation), the dancers approached the mat as though it were actually a religious or sacred space. Another piece called Constellation was interesting, but required quite a bit of explanation. For this work, Biggers created “star maps” that are actually maps of the Underground Railroad in several large cities; the stars reference the major safe-houses along the way, becoming brighter with each place’s significance.
I have to say I was a little bit lost whilst listening to Biggers’ lecture. He seemed to jump around quite a bit and I found it conceptually difficult to follow. After having gone to the lecture and before reading further about Biggers’ work, I was frankly not entirely sure what to think of it all. I understood the references to urban culture and his Buddhist influence, but I suppose I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be taking away from his lecture; I suppose his work’s purpose was lost in communication.
No comments:
Post a Comment