‘AFI' ER A WHILE HIS BAD BEHAVIOUR BEGINS TO SEEM MELANCHOLIC'
Action man
Rosie Lesso looks at the work of Roman Signer at The Fruitmarket Gallery, and is left reeling at the artist’s energy, urgency and endless ideas
int‘t‘ tht' l‘lTllx Sxxixx artixl lx’ninan Signcr hax
been making eccentric kinetic arl. t‘nliwning
hnlh IIllll\L‘II antl Intintl nhict'lx \\lIIl t‘lcincnlal l‘nrt‘cx xtlt‘h ax “IIItI. lirt‘. \xatcr nr uplnxin. .‘\t l‘irxt glant‘t‘. Sigttt‘rK climning arnttntl \L‘L‘III\ In lack xuhxlant'c. licrhapx tluc tn itx pla)ltil ilnnicdiat‘} antI inxtant at‘t‘t‘xxihilit). hnI giw it Iiint'; thcrc ix Illlll'C In it titan nit‘t'lx the ow.
I)n\\nxlairx. an t'inphaxix ix platul nn Signt‘r'x \itlcn \xnrlx. \xhit'h ix .iIninxt al\\a_\x xcl nuttlnnrx. In thc l‘irxt rnnin a l‘i\\\ nl lt‘lmixinn innnitnrx xhn\\ lihnx in uhich tIt‘xtrtlt‘Iiu‘ .it'lx takc plat‘c. In llIIL‘. a bridge ix t‘nnxttinctl h_\ lirt'. \xhilt‘. in annlhcr. a l‘liinx_\ tahlc ix tictl tn xt‘wt'al l‘t‘tI Itallnnnx. Iht‘ lath xtat'tillg a bit] Int‘ lrt‘ctlnni hcl‘nrc cat'h hallnnn ix xhnl \IU\\II h_\ Signcr'x ril'lc. bringing the tahlc craxhing tlnnn In carlh. Izlxcxxhcrc. largcr xt‘rt‘cnx Ilixpla_\ lilnix nl‘ Signcr taking part III innck-tlcxli'ticti\c at'tnilicx xuch ax hnltling lit I-II'C\\\II'I\\ Ill L‘aL‘Il IILIIItI. IIIC Illl't‘L‘ HI- lIlL‘ '.‘\PIU\I\L'\ making hix rcxnlxing chair xpin rnnntl and rntintI. nr hcing ’attackctl’ h) thing ha} iSignci‘ ix a ha} l'cxcr \tlIIt‘l'Cl’l. 'I'hc .nntixing CIICUI\ .irc innrc xinirk inthicing than laugh ntil Intitl. hut. al'tcr a \xhilc hix hatl hchminur hcginx [n xccni rathcr inclanchnlic. IIItICL‘tI. thc xight nl‘ an c\pi‘cxxinnlcxx. tlrahl} th'cxxctl inan partaking in xlrangc xnlitar} actix iticx in thc \\iltlcrncxx hax a tragic air.
Signcr hax a rcpt‘rtnirc nl' l'nuntl nhicctx hc rc-tthx
IICLIIICIIII} in hnth hix \itlcnx and xculpttircx. ()nc nl'
IIIC\C ix thc ka}ak. “high hax hccn Ilixplaxctl in thc gallcr} hcrc allcr hcing hlnxxn intn thrcc parlx h} uplnxiwx. 'I‘hc harrcl ix alxn cnntinnn. amicaring hcrc in t\\n \IIIICICIII guixcx: xitIing upright with a \icning xlit cut intn it ax '(llm‘t‘mtinn 'I‘nxxcr' il‘l‘ll i. and
clxcnhcrt' \L‘I in inntinn h_\ clct'trit‘ lanx. rnlling hack and l’nrth hctnccn tun \tiintlcn \xctlgcx. in ‘Rnlling Harrt‘l' llllll7i. IIIC\C antl nthcr utilitarian nhicclx arc allnut-tl tn hccninc IIIICUIHL‘IIIIlllliII. hatll} hchawtl. crcaling a hrcak \xith thcir tixual rnlc in pnlilc xnt'icI}. In nlhcr xt‘tllpturcx \xc lintl L‘tll'ltlllx cnlnhinatinnx nl IlllllltI nhict‘tx. xtit'h ax arinhantlx placctl nn \I\l\. nr an unihrclla l'irctl thrnugh a \lllIL‘;l\L‘ h} a cannnn. 'I'hc xignil‘}ing clitch nl axxncialinn arc ruptured: in thc Iatlcr \Mll'Ix. x§iiiliiilx til the null tn tln i'cpt'cxxctl huxincxxtnan arc rcplacctl h} aggrL‘xxinn antl \IHIL'IICL'. It ix thix ahilil} In tranxlnrni nrtIinar§ nhicctx \\IIIL'II I‘ruitinarkct t'tiralnr I‘inna Braille) callx ‘alt‘hcnn antl inagic' Hi‘atllc} ix alxn Men In cniphaxixc thc inipnrlancc nl Ihc ianant. giwn llllllllL‘llI in Signch \\tll‘I\. xharing hcr \it-\\ that. ‘\\hclhcr lihn. inxtallatinn nr xculpturc. it cxixtx in thc gallcr} antl lnr lhc \icucr ax an inxixtcnt prcxcncc'.
Signer can he xccn ax part iii a lincagc nl’ arlixlx \xnrking in thc l‘l7llx \xhn inatlc l'nuntl nhiccl \\nt‘I\\. hut lI ix a particularl} .\incrican. inininialixt lcgac} \xhit'h hax inlnrinctl hix attiIttiIc that nhich—Imxctl xcnlpturcx xhnultl nnI hnItI nr crcatc pcrxnnal narrth ox. IIc lt‘clx rcninwtl t'rnin lhcni. xa_\ing inxtcatl. 'I am Ihc Ill'llxl. ll ix Ihc nhicct.‘ Yul. lll xpilc HI lIllx xtlppnxcd tlclachincnt \xc arc giwn IiIIIc gliinpxcx intn hix charactcr .IIIII Signth xcnxc nl tirgcnc} ix rcwaling. ax il' hc ix a man hurtling tnxxartlx lalcr lil'c mm a tear nl' nnt lca\ing behind a legacy .\lthnugh hc ix brimming with cu‘r innrc ritlictilntix itlcax hc rcccntl} xaitl \xilh rcxignatinn. "l'hcrc itixt ixn'I time In H} c\ci'_\lhing.'
Roman Signer, Fruitmarket Gallery, Edinburgh, until Sun 27 Jan 0000
Visual Art
Ilit
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