Cutout Towel, 2007
Cotton
70 x
Click here
for installation view (Quicktime) from D21 Salon at
the D21 Kunstraum in
In espionage
parlance, a cutout is a mutually trusted intermediary
or channel of communication which facilitates the exchange of information
between agents. A symbol of non-function, a cut-out also refers to an item that
for some reason has been deeply-discounted, remaindered or taken out of stock.
The towel carries some conflicting symbolism. I.e. throwing in the towel is
conceding defeat, but waved by fans to cheer on their favourite sports-team a
towel represents success. In The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, towels are
described as the most "massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker
can have.". From common use the towel remains
associated to the body. The action of cutting into otherwise useful household
fabric such as towels can be associated to self-injury and is in some cases a
sign of neurosis. On the other hand, a cut-out sheet of paper or cloth might be
seen as one of the simplest ways of objectifying ornament. In our case, as the
initial function is obstructed, the towel is free from obligation and might be
seen as an object in its own right, going from ordinary towel to becoming a
"show towel”.