The Crisis of Western Civilization / Nikki Bell; Ben Langlands., 1983
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Scope and Contents
The overall wall sculpture consists of cardboard, red painted, false bricks to form alters; this object has shelves to hold book objects. The center altar has a doll which appears to be an angel. The title of this work was taken from a trade edition book that constitutes an element of the sculpture. The pages of the latter are collaged with text that has been cut-up and rearranged, sometines upside down, so that it is reminiscent of a language that once might have been interpretable but can no longer now be deciphered. The book objects placed on the shelf reference this imagined civilization. One of the book objects depicts a colored collaged photographic print of the 1970's American television character, Molly Goldberg, with arms outstretched as if posing a question, enclosed within a frame dated in hand lettering as 1949. -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.
Dates
- Creation: 1983
Creator
- Bell, Niki, 1959- (Person)
- Langlands, Ben, 1955- (Person)
Extent
0 See container summary (1 sculpture (cardboard, painted) + object (doll) + hard cover book + pages (collaged) + 4 book objects (mirror, paper, plastic, paper mache, unconventionally shaped, fabric, cardboard)) ; sculpture 124 x 117 x 20 cm
Language of Materials
From the Collection: English
Physical Location
wall near stairwell 1st floor
Custodial History
The Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, on loan from Ruth and Marvin A. Sackner and the Sackner Family Partnership.
General
Published: London, England : [Publisher not identified]. Nationality of creator: British. General: About 1 total copies. General: Added by: CONV; updated by: RSIRED.
Genre / Form
Repository Details
Part of the The Ruth and Marvin Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry Repository
125 W. Washington St.
Main Library
Iowa City Iowa 52242 United States
319-335-5921