Dimensions: object: 1829 x 381 x 381 mm
Copyright: © The estate of Barry Flanagan, courtesy Plubronze Ltd | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: This is Barry Flanagan's '4 casb 2 '67', an object made of rope and fabric. It strikes me as both playful and a bit unsettling, with those blue cones rising from the floor. What formal qualities stand out to you? Curator: The composition relies heavily on the interplay between verticality and horizontality. The rigid, conical forms contrast sharply with the sinuous rope. Consider the texture; the coarse rope against the smooth fabric creates a tactile tension. Editor: So, it’s the contrast of these elements that defines the work? Curator: Precisely. The artist is exploring the inherent properties of the materials themselves, creating meaning through their juxtaposition. Do you find any symbolic relationship between the forms? Editor: I hadn't considered that, but I appreciate the emphasis on the shapes and materials, and how they create the work's impact. Curator: Indeed, Flanagan’s work encourages us to appreciate the objecthood of sculpture and its immediate perceptual qualities.
http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/flanagan-4-casb-2-67-t02061
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'Four, Casb 2'67', 'Ringl 1'67' and 'Rope (Gr 2Sp 60) 6'67' are three separate works by Flanagan. Each title is an abbreviation of a technical description. 'Four Casb 2 '67' 'derives from four canvas sand bags number two 1967', while 'Ringl 1'67' is reduced from Ring lino number one 1967 and 'Rope (Gr 2Sp 60) 6'67' comes from 'Rope green two space sixty feet number six 1967'. This titling system was partly inspired by Flanagan's interest in the writings of Alfred Jarry, and in concrete poetry. Although all works are separate sculptures, when placed together they offer a culmination of Flanagan's work in the late 1960s. Flanagan wrote of them in 1969: 'It is fortuitous or interesting that they negate their specific identities and work together in such a way.' Gallery label, August 2004