Localisation:
First stop: Žižkárna. These sculptures are on the move and will appear in different locations across České Budějovice.
Simon Martin’s work does not belong to a single place. It begins its journey in Žižkárna, but over time, the three metal objects will appear in different parts of České Budějovice. They will move between places with very different rhythms and purposes: cultural venues, public spaces and places of everyday life.
Each location changes the work. The sounds are different. The pace of people passing by is different. So are the reasons why people are there. In one place, visitors may have come especially to encounter art. Somewhere else, they may simply be on their way to work, shopping or home.
What you encounter, then, is not only a sculpture but also the situation in which it finds itself. Someone walks past carrying shopping bags. Someone adjusts a heavy backpack. Someone pushes a pram or accompanies a child. Someone moves more slowly, more carefully, closer to a wall or to another person.
It becomes clear that the body in the city rarely moves alone. It carries bags, responsibilities, emotions or fatigue. Sometimes it also carries the weight of another body.
In everyday urban life, movement can seem ordinary. Yet it is made up of countless small decisions and adjustments. You slow down, stop, avoid obstacles, choose an easier route, keep your balance or look for support. Simon Martin’s work draws attention to these everyday acts that usually go unnoticed.
The work titled “To get around” consists of three metal objects. Each is approximately 88 centimetres high and approximately 70 centimetres wide. They are built mainly from steel tubing. The tube has a diameter of 25 millimetres.
At first glance, all three objects resemble assistive technologies – walking frames or mobility aids. The artist calls them „machines“. They refer to the body, movement, effort and fragility. The objects do not depict the human figure directly. Instead, the body is present through their scale, the height of the handrails, the places of grip and the points of support. You can touch them, if you want to. You can check how they work.
The work consists of three objects:
• an object without wheels, similar to a rehabilitation walking frame;
• an object on four wheels, similar to a wheeled walking frame;
• an object with hinges and moving frames, resembling a walking frame.
In all three objects the metal is silvery and shiny, but it does not look like smooth, factory-made chrome. The surface of the tubes is uneven. You can see traces of welding, thickened areas, abrasions and darker places. Black feet, covers, hinges, wheels and connectors strengthen the association with assistive equipment.
The first object has the form of a simple rehabilitation walking frame or a handrail for supporting oneself while walking. It has no seat, backrest or solid surfaces. Its shape is formed by steel tubes, vertical supports, crossbars and rubber endings.
It consists of two strongly bent frames, each resembling the rounded side of the letter „D“. Positioned about 60 centimetres apart, they run parallel to the ground. They are connected by three short vertical tubes, which extend downwards into three legs. Each leg ends in a black rubber foot. Where the vertical supports meet the upper frame, the tubing bends in a smooth curve rather than forming right angles.
Just above the rubber feet, each leg is interrupted by a short black silicone insert held in place with small metal bolts. These soft sections contrast with the rigid steel tubing and introduce a subtle flexibility into the object. The artist added them to make the idea of hyperflexibility physically tangible.
The second object resembles a walking frame on wheels. It feels more dynamic. Seen from the side, it has the shape of a widely opened letter „A“, although without the horizontal bar connecting its sides. One of its arms extends forwards and then curves into a handrail for support.
At the bottom are four wheels. They are slightly larger than those found on rehabilitation equipment. They have neither spokes nor rubber tyres, but resemble flat metal weights. Around twenty centimetres above the wheels, a horizontal rail strengthens the construction by connecting the two side frames.
The third object is the most complex. It resembles a folding rehabilitation walking frame. It consists of several rectangular and rounded frames connected by hinges, short connectors and crossbars. The object appears to be made from two walking frames placed opposite one another, their handrails facing each other. Each has two legs, so together the construction rests on four legs with black rubber feet.
The connection between the two parts consists of three vertical metal elements mounted on hinges and sleeves. This makes the structure deliberately unstable. If someone leans on it or tries to move it, the object trembles gently and produces the quiet sound of metal rubbing against metal.
All three objects retain the recognisable shape of technologies that support movement. Yet they are not neutral utilitarian objects. Their lines are subtly distorted. The wheels appear unexpectedly heavy. The familiar forms are gently disrupted, while the mechanisms remain visible.
Anyone who wants to can try them out. Lean on them. Set them in motion. Notice how they respond.