Figure 1
Claes Oldenburg
b. 1929, Stockholm Sweden
Ice Bag–Scale C
1971, Fiberglass-reinforced polyester resin, lacquer, nylon impregnated with neoprene, and motor, 138×160
In Ice Bag, the softness of Oldenburg’s earlier vinyl sculptures of household objects combines with a series of elaborate movements produced by complex mechanical devices. Moving up and down, Ice Bag inflates and deflates itself like a balloon. The artist described his use of mechanical animation as an attempt to “achieve harmony between the two natures–that of the machine and true organic nature…. I think perhaps my approach to technology is to remoce [its] difficulty…, as to take something which is formidable in its complexity, and make it do some very foolish thing[s].”
Photograph: ©1998, Whitney Museum of American Art
Artwork © Claes Oldenburg.