George Wilson: Home (more-or-less)
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George Wilson: Home (more-or-less) 2003* 10’6 W x 7’6 H x 3’ D. Materials: Grocery carts, steel, plastic labels, decals, and QR code with 14 audio clips. Partially funded by an Individual Artist Grant from the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs in 2002. Originally installed in the group exhibition "Outdoor Sculpture Installational" at the Armory Center Northwest, Pasadena, CA. Displayed in 2015 at “Feed the Weed,” NewTown Foundation exhibition and fundraiser in Pasadena, CA. George Wilson: HOME (more-or-less) explores the subject of homelessness in the City of Pasadena. The sculpture is composed of steel shopping carts that have been cut apart and welded into a map representing the City of Pasadena. The grocery cart is an archetypal symbol of homelessness. It efficiently provides storage and transportation of personal possessions (a mobile closet), as well as functions as a recycling collection container. The map, which has been painted gold to signify greater value, is labeled with the locations of the various services provided to Pasadena’s homeless population by local churches and non-profit agencies: shelters, meals, showers, groceries, recycling centers, clothing, healthcare, and counseling and career services. In addition, text logging the actual daily mileage of George Wilson, an unhoused person who often walked up to 10 miles per day, follows along the perimeter of the map-- Pasadena's city limits. The audio component of the sculpture consists of excerpts from an interview I recorded in 2002 with George Wilson. At the time, he had been living and surviving on the streets of Pasadena for several years without permanent housing. In the interview, Mr. Wilson thoughtfully reflects on the life events which lead to his current situation, his street survival techniques, and his philosophy. His words dismantle the many stereotypical myths associated with homelessness and shine a light on how we continue to fail the unhoused in this country. * In 2015, the map was refurbished and powder-coated and labels were updated to reflect current services offered within the city of Pasadena. The CD player was replaced with an iPad with audio clips, and most recently with a QR code link. |
Below are excerpts from a recorded interview I conducted with George Wilson at Union Station Homeless Services, Pasadena, CA in 2002.
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"By far the most touching piece in the show – and the most persuasive in its convictions – is Lisa Mann's "George Wilson: Home (more-or-less)" (2003), a sculpture that combines the elements of two shopping carts into a free-standing street map of Pasadena, on which are designated various locations important in the life of George Wilson, a homeless man whom Mann interviewed: "meals," "shelter," "shower," recycling center," and so on. The structure is painted gold (to signify important, Mann notes) and emits an absorbing audio recording of Wilson discussing his life.
The work is less a political statement than homage to Wilson – in whom, judging from the recording, there is much to admire – and it's accomplished with great sensitivity and respect.... In genuinely engaging with the world, peering into a space we often willfully overlook and then re-presenting that space in a form we can understand, Mann surely accomplishes a great deal." From "Empty Lot, Blank Canvas" (L.A. Times, August 14, 2003), by Holly Myers, a review of the 15 sculptures featured in the Armory Northwest show, "Outdoor Sculptural Installational."
The work is less a political statement than homage to Wilson – in whom, judging from the recording, there is much to admire – and it's accomplished with great sensitivity and respect.... In genuinely engaging with the world, peering into a space we often willfully overlook and then re-presenting that space in a form we can understand, Mann surely accomplishes a great deal." From "Empty Lot, Blank Canvas" (L.A. Times, August 14, 2003), by Holly Myers, a review of the 15 sculptures featured in the Armory Northwest show, "Outdoor Sculptural Installational."