I realized pretty quickly that whatever I was to achieve this year in the Art and Ecology MA program was likely going to be less ecologically impactful than what Zev does everyday, which is take things that are no longer useful for one person and find another person for whom they are useful. I therefore decided to patronize his work and bought the sculpture of Apollo on the hunt (in front of Sainsbury’s) as well as kitchen prep table, a stool and a mirror.
Zev and his nephew delivered them to my studio at the end of their work day. The studios are in a nearby vocational school that has an agreement with Goldsmiths provisioning a small number of MA art students can work in their unused classrooms provided they come and go through the back gate and don’t drink and smoke in the common areas.
At first, the sculpture reminded me of myself, with a dog (like Fidel) at his legs. He was about my size and stature with a similar hair concept. It took a little googling to figure out who it was and I was pleased to learn on Apollo’s Wikipedia page that he presided over music, poetry and dance. He was a companion to the muses, ‘delivered’ people from pandemics and was concerned with health, education and moderation. Wikipedia continued, ‘Apollo is the god who affords help and wards off evil... Delphic Apollo is the patron of seafarers, foreigners and the protector of fugitives and refugees.’ That seems like a nice vibe for the studio. I’m cherry picking though, like any foray into Greek mythology it turns into a bloody soap opera pretty quickly.
I put a National Geographic hat on his head and a tube map in his toga. Not having any idea what I would make in a studio after working itinerantly with an iPhone and laptop for so long, this life size sculpture of Apollo made me feel like more of an artist than a person in a shared classroom in the desolate wing of a vocational school Airdropping iPhone pictures to themselves. We’re in there with a collection of books and art ephemera, car-boot and charity shop finds and bits of ceramics mudlarked on the banks of Thames.
