IDLE DILEMMA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE

UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI‛I AT MᾹNOA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF

MASTER OF FINE ARTS

IN

ART

MAY 2014

By

Abigail Good

Thesis Committee:

Fred H. Roster, Chairperson

Scott Groeniger

Jaimey Hamilton-Faris

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Plates ……………………………………………….…………………………....ii

List of Figures ……………………………………………………….…………………iii

Introduction …………………………………………………………………...………...1

Previous Artwork Made By Abi Good Leading To Idle Dilemma……..…………….….7

Technical ……………………………………………………………………………….10

Exhibition ………………………………………….…………………………………..13

Historical ………………………………….……………………………………………15

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………..18

Bibliography …………………………..……………………………………………….19

Plates …………………………………………………………………………………...21

ii

LIST OF PLATES

Plate 1 ………..……………………………………..…………………..………………21

Plate 2…...……………………………………………………………………………....22

Plate 3 …………………………………………………………………………..……....23

Plate 4 …………………………………………………………………………………..24

Plate 5 ………………………………………….………………….……………………25

Plate 6 …………………………………………..………………………………………26

Plate 7 …………………………………………..………………………………………27

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1……………………………………………………………………………..……1

Figure 2 …………………………………………………………………….……..……..1

Figure 3 ……………………………………………………………………………….…2

Figure 4 ………………………………………………………………………….………7

Figure 5 ………………………………………………………………………….………7

Figure 6 ………………………………………………………………………….………8

Figure 7 ………………………………………………………………………….……..10

Figure 8 ………………………………………………………………………….…..…12

Figure 9 ………………………………………………………………………….……..13

Figure 10...……………………………………………………………………….……..14

Figure 11………………………………………………………………………………..14

Figure 12………………………………………………………………………………..17

Figure 13………………………………………………………………………………..17

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INTRODUCTION

Along the Oahu highway-one, near Electric Beach on the far west side of the

island, lies acres of vibrant farmland. This land is used to produce a variety of vegeta-

bles for consumption by the surrounding communities. Recently an addition to the fields

has appeared as a series of oddly shaped cement forms perfectly aligned (fig. 1). They

appear to be gigantic proportionally to the crops. The forms are the pylon style infra-

structure of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project. The pylons are made by

casting cement into molds, a process commonly used by contemporary sculptors.

Examination of the pylon reveals a figurative quality hidden within its sleek engineered

surface. The figure combined with the imagery of the Honolulu high-capacity transit

corridor project pylon became the focus of Abi Good’s thesis exhibition, Idle Dilemma.

In making the figure visible in the context of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor

project pylons, Good reveals the deeper social implications of the city’s project.

The Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project began as a glimmer of hope

for mass transit, hitting the major tourist destination, Waikiki, and also the University of

1

fig. 1 Left: Kapolei pillars of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project.

fig. 2 Right: Train to Nowhere, 2013, raku ceramic, 6’ x 8” x 15”, Abi Good.

Hawaii. Honolulu receives more than 4

million tourists a year according to the

Hawaii Tourism Authority 2010 statis-

tics for Oahu, which is 4 times the num-

ber of people that actually live here

(U.S. Census Bureau). After the project

had been approved by the people of

Honolulu through vote, the city dra-

matically changed the route for the pro-

ject in 2007 removing the Waikik and

University of Hawaii at Manoa stops.

In a scathing 2013 letter to HART and

federal transit officials from Chief

United States District Judge Susan Oki

Mollway, the obvious flaws of the new

route are described. She writes,

“Remarkably, the project’s proposed

rail route fails to run along the highly

congested east-west transportation corridor between Kapolei and UH Manoa, the very

corridor expressly identified as the route the project is intended to serve” (Honore). In-

stead of servicing the university and Waikiki, the city moved the rail to the opposite side

of the county, the first three stops planned on the farm. This farm, known to agricultu-

ralists and scholars as the most productive farmland on the planet* was planned to be

transformed into a suburb with the help of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor

project. New houses lead to more cars and therefore more traffic(Dudley). New houses

also lead to a larger population, bringing more stress to the delicate food and transporta-

tion system of the isolated island. The final destination of the rail line is Ala Moana

shopping center. The project was clearly designed in the spirit of capital gain, which

promotes a “culture of consumerism”(Lasch). Instead of resolving previously estab-

2

fig. 3 Investigative illustration combining human

figure with an Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor

project pillar.

*Dr. Goro Uehara, Professor of Soil Science at the University of Hawaii

(http://www.hawaiipoliticalinfo.org/?q=node/1738)

lished problems, the elevated rail will likely create more of the same. The imagery of

the pylon structures in the middle of the farmland is an effective image of the meaning-

less gesture of installing the Honlolulu high-capacity transit corridor project.

The Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project is the next step of develop-

ment slated for Oahu island. Since the industrial revolution in the United States, similar

development has been described as progress. Much has been written about the history of

the progress ideology, however these writings never truly came to a conclusion about

the overall direction of progress. A recent documentary entitled Surviving Progress

based on Ronald Wright’s book A Short History of Progress focuses on where the con-

cept of progress has taken contemporary civilization and what the probable outcomes

are. The discussion illustrates what is happening with the Honolulu high-capacity tran-

sit corridor project on Oahu and what has already happened on the mainland: unsustain-

able large scale development. Historically progress has been defined as a linear direc-

tion, however it has become a system whereas civilization has fallen into a cycle of rein-

venting the same machines and technology indefinitely.

To paraphrase Wright in the documentary, generally speaking, there are different

types of progress; good and bad. Progress can mean any change. Its difficult for us to

see what direction our change is headed. Civilization has the characteristic as starting at

a basic level, becoming more complex over time. There is an illusion that these com-

plexities are always taking our civilization in a good direction. Ronald Wright explains:

Wright uses the example of hunters targeting mammoths during the Stone Age.

The hunters who figured out how to kill more than one mammoth at a time had made

significant progress. When entire herds were killed at a time the species became extinct

and a main food source was lost. Wright goes further to connect current potential pro-

gress traps to ancient mentalities;

3

(there are) things that start out to seem like improvements or progress.

These things are very seductive. It seems like there’s no down side to

these things. But when they reach a certain scale, they turn out to be dead

ends or traps. The term Progress Trap defines human behaviors that seem

to provide benefits in the short term, but ultimately lead to disaster be-

cause they are unsustainable.

As our technology advanced, the rest of our mental abilities stood at a standstill waiting

to be updated. The hunter and gatherer brain doesn’t necessarily compensate for our

contemporary problems. For instance increased standards in sanitation over the last two

hundred years, especially in the medical field, have saved millions of lives. On the other

hand we are now facing a severe overpopulation problem. While the population boom

has been in action, major social institutions never changed their philosophies to adapt to

the change. Institutions such as the Catholic Church still prohibit women from using

contraception (Gazit). In this case a technological advancement happened so effectively

that neither culture or physiological evolution have had time to counterbalance the ad-

vancement.

Progress has grown into a system of technological recycling. Instead of advanc-

ing in a direction, progress has mutated into a sequence of reinvention. The technology

we have does not get dramatically better, instead it is simply reinstalled. An example

would be the car. Each year car companies release a new models although the new

model usually mimics previous models. The recycling is so prevalent that no ground

appears to have been gained.

Honolulu also seems to have become trapped in the cyclical rotation of progress,

in this case through the category of transportation. OR&L was one of the first and larg-

est rail transport companies on Oahu and is credited with installing the sugar and pine-

apple industry on the West side, ultimately leading to the ‘development’ of Honolulu

(Treiber). Ironically, the OR&L line ran a path almost the same as the planned Honolulu

high-capacity transit corridor project and is also creating residential development. In

4

Our physical bodies and our physical brains, as far as we can tell, have

changed very little in the past 50,000 years. We’ve only been living in

civilization for the past 5000 years. Which is at the most .2% of our evolu-

tionary history. For the other 99.8% we were hunters and gatherers.

That’s the kind of way of life that made us. We are essentially the same

people as those stone age hunters. What makes our way of life different

from theirs is that culture has taken off at an exponential rate and has be-

come completely detached from the rate of natural evolution. So we are

running 21st century software, or knowledge, on hardware that hasn’t been

upgraded for 50,000 years. This is what lies at the core of many of our

problems.

fact the Honolulu Authority on Rapid Transit, the master entity controlling the Hono-

lulu elevated rail project, values this recurrence. The HART newsletter, Honolulu on the

Move, outlines the historical strategy and how it is being recreated:

Conceptually, progress is described as a linear evolution (Bury). The next state-

of -being is based on what was learned from the last, but improved. The idea is that the

future will arrive in Utopia. However the concept of progress has mutated since its ap-

pearance during the European industrial revolution and its U.S. rebirth at the 1933 Chi-

cago World’s Fair(Ganz). The direction of the progress ideology is no longer directed

towards a better life for all people. The concept was manipulated as a capitalist method

to expand economy. The age of progress developed into a culture based on buying and

consuming instead of a path towards perfection.

The two words that compose the title Idle Dilemma were carefully chosen as a

miniature statement to describe the meaning behind the installation. The word idle me-

chanically means to operate at a low speed, disengaged from the load. Its other meaning

is equally valuable: of no real worth, importance, or significance. The word dilemma

means a situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives. The two

words together create a view of twenty-first century progress: a menial, low speed repe-

tition that places us at a point of uncomfortable decision. The dilemma is illustrated by

the figure in the monoliths of Idle Dilemma. Each figure struggles to hold up the weight

therefore matching the figurative image behind, or in front of, him/her. The figure’s ob-

5

Aloha! This month’s edition of Honolulu on the Move focuses on Transit

Oriented Development or TOD. It is one of the exciting by-products of

mass transit systems and has huge potential to revitalize and invigorate

individual communities. Recognizing this synergy, the Honolulu City

Council required that a zoning ordinance for TOD be in place before con-

struction begins on the fixed guideway stations. While there is TOD na-

tionwide, it isn’t really a new concept, but a modern day adaptation of the

pre-World War II approach to concentrate growth in specific areas. You

can see this in communities in O’ahu that were built around streetcar lines

and the OR&L railway, such as Kaimuki, Manoa and the Dillingham cor-

ridor of Kalihi.

-November, 2007

jective is to remain perfectly aligned although the weight he/she held is so great that it

incurred pain and fatigue. Viewed as a timeline, each figure appears as one generation

following the next, all with the same burden. The spacing between the three figures cre-

ated a visual rhythm, or mechanical idle. Idle Dilemma makes a visual statement ques-

tioning the validity of the progress ideology in the context of the Honolulu high-capacity

transit corridor project.

6

PREVIOUS ART WORK MADE BY ABI GOOD

LEADING TO IDLE DILEMMA

Land and the body politic have been

regular focal points in Abi Good’s art. Her

objective is to tie the related region, issue, and

culture in a single visual entity. Her first at-

tempt, KKK Goose(2005), connected the tacky

lawn ornament associated with northeast Ohio

to the hate group after another layer of anti-

gay legislation had been passed by an over-

whelming majority (fig. 4) . At the University

of Akron she sculpted the goose form from

wood and dressed it in a hand sewn KKK cap

and gown. Akron Ohio was one of the Klan’s

northern strongholds up through the late

1920’s(Maples). KKK goose connected th

city’s history with contemporary common

household sculpture in relation to the recent

legislation. In a twist ending, the KKK Goose

was lynched on another artist’s piece, Money

Tree, by a vandal/surprise collaborator at a

public installation.

Dirt Girls II, 2012,(fig. 5) composed

of cast soil in the shape of a torso, spoke to

how the value of soil fluctuates dramatically

according to a multitude of society based cir-

cumstances. In this piece Good located soil in

her neighborhood that was being removed for

the purpose of installing a parking garage.

The land for housing in that area is highly

7

fig. 4 The lawn ornament goose common to

northeast Ohio. Traditionally the lady of the

house dresses the goose in comical outfits

according to the season.

fig. 5 Dirt Girls II, 2012 , Soil .

priced (Wilhemina Rise) whereas each load of dirt cost four hundred dollars to dispose

of at a waste site. This is also the same soil the University buys to tend the baseball

fields. She maneuvered a truckload to be delivered free of charge to use for Dirt Ladies.

The leftovers lay behind the sculpture area, also free for use. Same dirt, different values.

Making the figure from this soil, was a way to realize the dirt without any special com-

mercial or economic value. Good adds personal value to the soil through energy and

fabrication.

Babies, later renamed Unfettered Optimism(2012) (fig 6), captures the culture-of

-consumerism but places it in the context of ‘family values’. Through a single push

mold, Good printed and altered each of the nine hundred thirty seven baby heads. When

a viewer entered the room whose walls were lined with them, he/she could simultane-

ously see the similarities and differences between each head. In an opening reception

performance, Good anointed and blessed each head with baby oil, connecting stagnant

Christian ideology to the overwhelming population boom that has occurred over the last

hundred years. She used Unfettered Optimism as an experiment with the figure in quan-

tity. The figure in quantity, even when fragmented, is a powerful tool in delivering a

message.

8

fig. 6 Unfettered Optimism, 2012, various clay bodies.

Good’s political pieces all have poignant objectives, however, Idle Dilemma is

the most successful in connecting specific ideas. Idle Dilemma strongly references both

the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project and the figure while using the figure

in quantity. Idle Dilemma reflects the impersonal quality of engineered materials and

ties them to figurative imagery in a criticism of large scale governmental infrastructure

projects designed to boost economy rather than improve living conditions. Composed of

three cement monoliths standing in a single file line, Idle Dilemma divides the gallery in

homage to the separation the current Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project in-

curs. The cement media of Idle Dilemma is a reminder that the real project is designed

to be so permanent that it might possibly outlast its function.

9

TECHNICAL

The scale of Idle Dilemma seemed to overwhelm viewers. The Honolulu high-

capacity transit corridor project pylons are approximately 10’ by 8’ at top, 4’ across at

the base and 20’ tall. It was clear the gallery could not sustain objects of this scale.

Good captured the immense size of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project

pylons by choosing an approximate fifty percent scale. She emphasized the immense

size of the sculpture by making the top too high to viewed. With an inaccessible top, the

piece becomes architectural instead of an object. The fifty percent proportion made the

figurative side to be larger than life-sized (fig 7). The shape of the Honolulu high-

capacity transit corridor project pylons are round and square at the same time and per-

fectly symmetrical (fig. 12 and 13). Their circular column gradually stems out at the top

and flattens. The pylon side of Idle Dilemma

imitates the round square feature of the real

pylon but in a subtle asymmetrical fashion.

The stems of the Idle Dilemma

sculptures were cast from a half round fabri-

cated wooden mold lined with laminated

masonite. The masonite creates an ultra

smooth non-stick surface not easily repli-

cated by hand. This effectively removes in-

dication of an artist being present and cre-

ates the illusion that the piece was engi-

neered, not hand built. In addition to the

base, each edge of the upper section is

molded from the same laminate and sculpted

to transition between sections. The shape is

fitted to match its corresponding figurative

side.

10

fig. 7 Adult woman stands next to Idle Di-

lemma to show scale. Photo Credit: Jackie

Mild-Lau, model Erin Yuasa.

The figurative side of Idle Dilemma was created through a rigorous series of

steps. It started as a life cast mold. A clay figure was cast from the mold in sections.

Each section was then cut into slivers. Strips of clay were added between slivers to

enlarge the figure. This process increased the figure by twenty percent. The walls of the

clay shell were thickened and reinforced with internal structural walls. The pieces were

then ready to be assembled on an armature and sculpted to refine the figure. A slight

twist and contrapposto were achieved by resolving the entire figure. A mold from the

front half of the figure was taken and reinforced with conduit pipe. The mold was then

removed and the clay figure was destroyed (fig 8). At this point a new positive figure

was made by casting plaster. This positive form then became “the mold”. The mold was

placed on a table and walls with the pillar shape were installed. The following casting

became the figurative side of the final sculpture. This system produced the negative

space of the figure for the final form.

The negative form is a unique solution that closely relates to the concept of the

work. The positive figure carried significant potential. Caryatid, statue, victory, hero,

lawn ornament were all likely results. Also the figure by itself lacked an obvious con-

nection to the pillars. None of these possibilities seemed to embrace the desired overall

feeling of the piece. Using the negative space matched the target shape while at the

same time removed the protagonist character from the figure. The final lighting of the

piece reinforced this quality whereas the shadow of the figure occurred on the top as if

lit from the bottom. This phenomenon generated an optical illusion within the piece. The

figure appeared to exist dimensionally while framed by a two dimensional plane. The

positive and negative spaces fool the eye to believe the figure was protruding from the

flat plane

Although maquettes, drawings and samples were used to estimate the potential

outcomes of the pieces, the final outcome of Idle Dilemma was not realized until long

after fabrication had started. Being that the project only had five months to develop

through process, initial stages had to commence before decisions could be made about

the final steps. Foresight of following steps proved to be difficult due to the shear size

and weight of the master clay figure. In addition, high levels of problem solving oc-

curred at each step creating a nearly blind process. After a stabilized full-size clay figure

11

had been made, the opportunity to make a directional decision presented itself through

the failure of an experimental mold material. The shape of the mold itself was used as

the figurative side. Using the mold as the piece also solved a series of problems, the

most significant being, relieving the artist from lifting thousands of pounds of cement

ten feet in the air to pour into a mold who’s stability was unknown. In the end hallow

cast construction was chosen as the fabrication technique for the final outcome of Idle

Dilemma. Faux casting lines and bolts were added during the casting process to imitate

the rail pylons and also create additional surface texture.

A parallel lies between the fabrication of the piece and the concept. Science and

technology both have a failure rates. The actions that follow a fail require creative prob-

lem solving, patience, dedication, and often times the simplicity of logic. Progress, the

champion of science and technology, also follows a path with a potential for costly fail-

ure. Recovering from such failure would require the same set of skills with an addition

of community engagement.

12

fig.8 The most effective way of dismantling a wet clay

figure of this scale is with a machete as demonstrated

by student Mattias Braun. From this rear view the

opened figure reveals the interior armature made of

wood and steel pipe.

EXHIBITION

The Idle Dilemma exhibition was held at the U.H. Mānoa Gallery although the

space was divided amongst four graduate students. Idle Dilemma’s space ran length-

ways across the back gallery wall facing the back door (fig 9). Entryways were avail-

able via openings between walls at the front and back end of the corridor. As a visitor

approached from the main entry, they initially saw the narrow width side of the first

form. It appeared dark grey, heavy, and bulky. As the viewer walked closer, the width of

the back side became visible along with the additional two forms. At this point the scale

of the object became understood and the pylon shape was recognizable. The forms were

back-lit so the viewer walked into the shadows of the forms at the entrance. As the

viewer walked along the pylons, he/she became aware of the opposite side containing

the figure.

The figure stands inside a flat plane composed of a refined plastic texture.

Smooth wrinkles occurred in the space around the arms and head (fig 11). This surface

served as a transitional space between the industrial pylon and the figure. The wrinkles

created a surreal feeling as though the object was still in a liquid state. The figure ex-

isted as negative space, however raking lights from the top made shadows within the

space that created an illusion of the figure existing in the positive. Of course this per-

13

fig. 9 Overhead exhibition layout.

spective came in and out of focus as the viewer moved around the piece. The lighting

from top created a dark tone for the work.

Each figure was identical and aligned perfectly with its neighbors (plate 5) .

The figures looked up with anguished faces, gritting their teeth (fig 10 and 11). The fig-

ures held their arms over their heads, appearing to hold a great weight, while attempting

a half step forward. The step created a slight twist in the torso adding to the light illu-

sion. The feet were not indicated, suggesting they existed below the floor. The hands

were indicated but no phalanges articulated. The negative character of the figure was

such that the fingers would extend beyond the two dimensional plane. The back half of

the figure was not indicated at all. This was not evident to the viewer, however, because

they were under the impression that they were seeing the front half of the figure as

though they were facing it. In reality they were facing the inside of the front half as

though they could fit into it, placing them as the true positive.

14

fig. 10 Left: Model with anguished face, tightened lips, gritted teeth, squinty eyebrows,

engaged cheek muscles.

fig. 11 Right: Idle Dilemma detail. Much like printmaking, the negative space appears as a mirrored oppo-

site.

HISTORICAL

The struggling figure has often been used historically to describe the trials of en-

tire civilizations. Both Laacoon and His Sons by an unknown artist and Michelangelo’s

Slaves were references and inspirations for the imagery of Idle Dilemma. It is most

likely that Michealangelo’s Slaves was actually based off of Laacoon and His Sons plac-

ing its discovery and excavation in 1506(Brilliant). Both works appear to hold common

ground in concept; punishment in the case of Laacoon and agony due to circumstance in

the case of Slaves. Both sculptures use a twist in torso, strained muscles, and pained fa-

cial expression to illustrate the pain of the figure. In both cases the characters endure

anguish without redemptive power or reward. Their pain is the story. Idle Dilemma also

focuses on the anguish of the figure with no particular reward or resolution. Instead the

pained figure is repeated to mimic the progress time spiral.

Minimalist sculpture also shares common formal elements with Idle Dilemma.

Alignment and repetition are strong qualities exhibited in much historical minimalist

sculpture. Robert Morris, painter turned sculpture object philosopher, wrote extensively

on minimalist concepts in the 1960’s. He described how the minimalist form, such as a

cube, needs no basis in concept or meaning as long as it is well made. In the following

excerpt, he also explains the difficulties in justifying art that is designed to have no con-

cept based relationship to its own existence: meaning it exists just to exist. The cube

does not reference anything other than itself. It is a cube or rectangle, for the sake of be-

ing a cube or rectangle.

15

To achieve a cubic or rectangular form is to build in the simplest,

most reasonable way, but it is also to build well. This imperative for

the well-built thing solved certain problems. It got rid of asymmetri-

cal placing and composition, for one thing. The solution also threw

out all nonrigid materials. This is not the whole story of so-called

Minimal or Object art. Obviously it does not account for the purely

decorative schemes of repetitive and progressive ordering of multiple

unit work. But the broad rationality of such schemes is related to the

reasonableness of the well built. What remains problematic about

these schemes is the fact that any order for multiple units is an im-

posed one that has no inherent relation to the physicality of the exist-

ing units. (41)

Morris references the cubic or rectangular as a basic architectural unit however he has

refrained from using the idea as a the justification for the art object. Idle Dilemma uses

concepts of Morris’ argument but combines them in a different combination. Idle Di-

lemma is a composition based, aesthetically interesting, conceptual installation that di-

rectly references architectural units. It exists for the purpose of sharing a message, more

specifically, to question the method of justification through which our civilization con-

tinues in action. Architecture does employ the use of units that are especially structur-

ally sound. In the case of the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project the master

unit is the pylon. Idle Dilemma references this form directly both in shape and in mate-

rial. One of the appeals of referencing the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor pro-

ject is that the pylons appear to be a juxtaposition in form and material into the bounds

of the landscape. Idle Dilemma is inspired by this phenomenon and was designed to cre-

ate a similar scenario in the gallery.

Robert Morris makes a notable point, art that is designed to be viewed as an un-

changing mass should be built well. Artists of large and heavy pieces have an obligation

to make their art structurally sound for the safety of themselves, their viewers and the

venue. During an artist talk at the Idle Dilemma exhibition, a concerned student asked

why he should not be afraid of the sculpture falling over onto him. Abi Good reassured

the student that the sculptures were made well. She later credited professor Fred Roster

for his sound advise in structural design. She also thanked Rod Bengston and Wayne

Kawamoto for their bravery in testing the forms’ stability.

The Minimalist sculptors were focused on removing the essence of the artist,

creating an appearance that their objects were engineered or manufactured. Their strat-

egy was to hire production professionals to make their objects and also to design basic

angular shapes. Idle Dilemma also holds the appearance of being manufactured. It

eludes to this concept through relationships created between the forms. Since the forms

are nearly identical, they infuse the notion that they were made without emotion or er-

ror. It is the relationship between all of the pillars that create this this feeling. If only one

pillar existed, the viewer would likely assume that it was hand made. When replicas are

introduced in the same style, a mechanical reproduction is perceived, and therefore the

hand of the artist is removed. The cast forms create a visceral understanding amongst

16

the viewers that each piece is made through mechanical process, not through a series of

creative decisions.

Furthermore, Morris discusses the use of units in the context of transportation

systems. He specifically observes how the change in architectural shape evokes imagery

of the figure.

Here Morris describes the anthropomorphic phenomenon that Idle Dilemma is draws

upon. The Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project pylon shape is a metamorpho-

sis between a column and a cube.(Fig 12 and 13). Its shape is a combination of com-

pound curves that appear unusually figurative. Good used the stress suggested by the

curve in the pylon to emphasize the stress of the figure on the opposite side.

17

The rectangular unit and grid as method of physical extension are also

the most inert and least organic. For the structural forms now needed in

architecture and demanded by high-speed travel, the form is obviously

obsolete. The more efficient compression-tension principles generally

involve the organic form of the compound curve. In some way this form

indicates its high efficiency – that is, the “work” involved in the design

of stressed forms is somehow projected. The compound curve works,

whereas planar surfaces – both flat and round – do not give an indication

of special strength through design. Surfaces under tension are anthropo-

morphic: they are under the stresses of work much as the body is in

standing. Objects that do not project tensions state most clearly their

separateness from the human. (38)

fig. 12 Left: The Honolulu high-capacity transit

corridor project pylons are composed of complex

planes that transition between round and square.

fig. 13 Right: Side view of a Honolulu high-

capacity transit corridor project pylon.

CONCLUSION

The word ‘progress’ is used in the contemporary context as either propaganda or a sell-

ing point. By rejecting it, Abi Good unearths deeper truths about the history of our cur-

rent value system. She instead points out the philosophy of the Greeks before the pro-

gress ideology blurred the line: the world works in a series of cycles. Its best to learn

from the current cycle and prepare for the next instance therefore in enabling ourselves

to actively participate in each day.

Regardless of Good’s impact or lack thereof on the Honolulu high-capacity tran-

sit corridor project or the Progress ideology, art plays a significant role in creating an

open forum for opposing views, protest, or creating awareness of injustice. Idle

Dilemma was a year long exercise incorporating extensive historical research, public

talks, and large scale art making. Public response has been positive but most people be-

lieve the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project is unstoppable. Connecting the

progress ideology to the Honolulu high-capacity transit corridor project was a strategy

to create awareness of the concept being deeply rooted in our value system and suggests

its possible detrimental effects for the future.

18

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brilliant, Richard. My Laocoon: Alternative Claims in the Interpretation of Artworks.

Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000. Print.

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