Tools for Change 1993

Harriet Bart made “Tools for Change” with a wooden box and handsaw, and it’s filled with paper shreds. I wonder if she was thinking about what it means to store an idea when she made it. It looks like some kind of tool-chest, or even a coffin, and it's filled to the brim with paper shreds that looks like thoughts, or maybe dreams. The saw embedded in the back looks like the most beautiful tombstone. What kind of change is this about? I can relate to that: what an artist does, after all, is make forms to put your feelings into, and send them out into the world. Artworks can be seen as the tools of the artist. It reminds me of the work of Joseph Beuys, who was interested in all sorts of things, from politics to materials, and the transformative power of ideas. There's also something of Eva Hesse in its playful sculptural presence, using industrial materials for personal expression. Ultimately, Bart is reminding us that even the most mundane objects can be vessels for profound ideas, ready to inspire and shape our perception.