Volume Study: Workbench 2005
altered found objects, (installation) dimensions variable
Two sawhorses spaced approximately four feet apart support a temporary work surface made of plywood. A variety of carpentry tools, arranged as if briefly abandoned during use, are scattered about the work area. A five-gallon bucket containing a canvas tool insert and additional instruments sits on the floor at the foot of one sawhorse. Also on the floor lies a small wooden crate. Measuring approximately one foot cubed, the crate sits with one side missing, exposing its interior. On top of the workbench another seemingly unfinished crate, much larger than the previous one, is placed with one of its small sides open as well. This rectangular crate sits amongst an overabundance of notes and calculations on the surface of the plywood. These markings, some in pencil and some in permanent marker, some crossed out and some left as is, provide calculations not only for the expected production of the two crates, but also reveal the volumes of every object present in the scene. Ranging from the circular saw all the way down to the sawdust left by each cut, these dimensions are illustrated in cubic inches. A date containing a cubic inch total found in several locations on the wood surface is presented in bold marker. This computation is the estimated volume of my body on this particular date as devised through means of displacement.
Using volume to link consumer products to our immediate materiality suggests that, on one calculable level, we are of no greater importance than an object. The volumetric pieces are the realization of our existence in actuality being nothing more than a limited amount of physical space. Employing an individual or group as a unit of measurement removes self-realization and levels the relationship between body and surroundings. I have presented this concept by recreating my exact volume in everyday objects. If one were to add the specific volume of all objects contained in this scenario, the space occupied would amount to 4,851 cubic inches (my total volume that day.) All calculations are subtly involved in the aesthetics of the piece for the viewer to discover. The quantity of the body and of the functional object are equally re-contextualized as space occupied. Through the reduction of an individual’s existence to an ascertainable numerical value, a direct convincing relationship can be drawn between oneself and the objects one depends upon.