By: Victor Mutelekesha.
Photographed by Istvan Virag
Mixed Medium Sculpture.
Dimensions :150cm Diameter.
In the “great dictator”, Hitler, played by Charlie Chaplin flirts with the idea of potentially becoming an emperor of the world in the scene in his office where he kicks, bounces and caresses the globe. In his delusion state of mind only them will he be content. The globe as the measure of endurance and wholeness stretches back into ancient times, the Greek mythology speaks of Atlas the Titan god who bore the entire world on his shoulders as punishment but he then became viewed as the automate symbol of endurance, strength and the bearer of the heaviest of burdens.
Aware of the above references to the globe this project takes the shape of the globe to illustrate for illustration.
This project though explore the self as a moving target, one with potential of never being fully realized till the day we die. The self is in contact flux, like the globe has potential of rolling over in any given direction and like snow ball keep collecting the mass, explored into a million little pieces upon impact and they too potentially gathering more mass a vicious cycle that never sees the end.
The greater component of the installation is made of clothing which has become a defining factor of who we are and who we want the world to see so the self is extended from inner truest self to the out clothed self; an image that matter most to those that see us.
Since through the years of our existence we keep changing cloths like masks so does out attacked identity remain an elusion; “The phantom of self” so to say.