ORIGINAL WORK
This work by William Wareham, titled Ancestors I, is a sculpture on display outside of Chapman’s moulton hall. Made in 1982, it is constructed of welded varnished steel which provides a very rigid and industrial look and feel.

This sculpture is a piece that I walk by nearly every day on my way to class, but something that I had never stopped and taken a moment to analyze before now. However, once I began taking a closer look at it, both in person and at online pictures, I found myself feeling intrigued and somewhat nostalgic in some sense.

The rusted and worn appearance of the steel, set in front of a backdrop of brick and ivy, gives the sense that this piece has been a constant presence in an everchanging world for a long time, and it suggests that there is rich history and heritage emanating from this form.

This notion is what gives the piece its name, “Ancestors”. The recycled material and worn out metal, paired with the skewed form of the shape cutouts, tell a story of the connection between past and present and lateral movement between the two. It is meant to be in reference to the circular nature of life and time, and the connection between the past and present. It is a piece that works together with its surrounding environment, and encourages viewership from multiple angles and perspectives because it takes on an entirely different form depending on the angle it is viewed from.

The most fascinating aspect of this work to me is the subtle three dimensionality of the piece and the symbolism that this depth holds. When passing by and looking at the work from straight on, it appears more or less two dimensional. However, when you look at the work from the side, it takes on an entirely different form.

This aspect of the work encourages viewers to engage with it from multiple different viewpoints, which carries larger symbolism of the necessity to approach many different things from multiple viewpoints, not just assuming that your own singular viewpoint is absolute.