George Wilson: Home (more-or-less)
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George Wilson: Home (more-or-less) 2003, restored 2015 10’6 W x 7’6 H x 3’ D. Materials: Grocery carts, steel, plastic labels, decals, iPad with 14 audio tracks. Partially funded by an Individual Artist Grant from the City of Pasadena Cultural Affairs Division in 2002. Originally installed in the group exhibition "Outdoor Sculpture Installational" at the Armory Center Northwest, Pasadena, CA. Also displayed in 2015 at “Feed the Weed,” NewTown Foundation exhibition and fundraiser at a private residence 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 has become 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 services. In addition, text logging the actual daily mileage of George Wilson, a Pasadena homeless man who often walks up to 10 miles per day, follows along the perimeter of the map-- Pasadena city limits. The audio component of the sculpture consists of excerpts from a recorded interview I conducted with George Wilson in 2002. In the interview, Mr. Wilson discusses his fascinating history, his means of survival, and his philosophy of living on Pasadena’s streets. This thoughtful man breaks down the myths attached to homelessness. |
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."