Mary Mead
born 1957, New York, NY
works in Warner, NH
Advancing Slowly, 1998, concrete, steel, 16" x 11" x 13", Lent by the Artist
Mary Mead combines recognizable objects with the properties of abstract sculpture to create objects and installations that act as metaphors for human relationships. She shifts the identities of familiar objects through her choices of materials, and by subverting normal perception through changes of scale. In Advancing Slowly, Mead placed twelve concrete hats, each weighing approximately thirty pounds, on separate bases composed of four steel rods. These hats are arranged close to the ground, suggesting a slow forward procession. Each hat occupies its own space, yet is unified with the others through the rhythmic pull of the overall grouping. Advancing Slowly seems to be a wry comment on slow but ultimate progress and perseverance through unity.
