Leave your mark at McMaster Museum of Art

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/sculpture07.jpg” caption=”Art students Sarah Bardwell and Tamsen Dippel help install the Pozo clay sculpture at the entrance of the McMaster Museum of Art. Photo courtesy of Graham Todd.”]Museum visitors usually aren't allowed to touch the artwork, but a new sculptural project at the entrance of the McMaster Museum of Art encourages passersby to leave their mark. The sculpture, titled Pozo, which means “well” in Spanish, was installed by art professor Graham Todd.

“A friend of mine who lives in Todedo, Spain showed me an antique ceramic roof-tile that contained a deep hand impression by the anonymous maker — a 16th century retake on the prehistoric cave markings — a pragmatic, simple, and yet such a poignant statement,” said Todd. “In antiquity, the medium of clay was widely used to record contracts.”

Todd invites the public to participate by leaving their mark on one of hundreds of balls of clay — specifically a fingerprint, a date stamp and finally, a number of personal significance. These individual ceramic records will then be collected, fired in a kiln and returned to the piece. The growth and progress of this project will be posted at www.pozo.ca.

“I thought it interesting to explore contemporary notions of village,” said Todd. “Are we in fact an anonymous global village or are we still heavily invested in the local? Do we still view ourselves as part of a physical community? How do we define ourselves within society? Could a single form subliminally resonate enough associations from the past and bring together disparate 21st century individuals? Are there positive consequences for a community resulting from sculptural co-operation?”

Todd is a professor of sculpture in McMaster's School of the Arts. His own research, primarily in the area of sculpture, drawing and ceramics, has engaged a kaleidoscopic sensibility with a mastery of technique.

Todd has participated in 53 individual and group exhibitions in North America, South America and Europe since he joined the faculty in 1984. He was one of the founding directors of the Living Room collective in Toronto, where he currently maintains a studio. Todd's recent work displays a close involvement with and is influenced by Spain, where he has also established a studio and exhibits regularly.