Habitat
Artist
Gavin Turk
(Guildford, England, born 1967)
Date2004
Mediumpainted bronze
ClassificationsSculptures
Dimensions7 x 170 x 70cm
AcquisitionPurchased in 2004 with assistance from the National Collecting Scheme for Scotland, the National Fund for Acquisitions and the National Art Collections Fund.
Copyright© The Artist. All Rights Reserved 2023 / Bridgeman Images
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDAG014305
Keywords
The sleeping bag is a familiar object of the urban environment. The one word title, 'Habitat' conjures up for some the ideal interior but here it describes the sleeping bag - the 'habitat' or home of the down-and-out. This sculpture stands as a symbol of our age of individualism and commercialism, encapsulating the down side of an uncaring, anonymous society.
With its apparently grubby surface, its plains of soft hills and valleys with rifts and ridges, the sleeping bag recalls a natural landscape. Through the snake-like zip the inner lining can be seen. Yet this sense of padded softness is false. It is a solid object; the fabric can never change. Every crease and fold is cast in bronze, the casually rumpled, padded nylon form is fixed in space forever.
For more information on how this work was acquired see http://www.ncsscotland.org.uk/collections
More About Me
A remarkably faithful reproduction of the real thing, Turk’s bronze cast and painted sleeping bag, looks so much like it’s grubby original, it’s hard to believe that it’s actually metal!
Exhibitions
Gillian Reeley
