Artwork Details
- Title
- Department of Public Works Brooch
- Artist
- Date
- 1994
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- overall: 1 3⁄4 x 4 3⁄4 x 1⁄2 in. (4.5 x 12.1 x 1.4 cm) A (brooch): 1 3⁄4 x 4 3⁄4 x 1⁄2 in. (4.5 x 12.1 x 1.3 cm) B (clasp): 1⁄4 x 3⁄8 in. (.7 x 1.0 cm) diam. C (clasp): 1⁄4 x 3⁄8 in. (.7 x 1.0 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Zack Peabody
- Mediums Description
- aluminum, resins, glass beads, and pigments
- Classifications
- Object Number
- 2000.62.3A-C
Artwork Description
Boris Bally believes that “[our] resources on this planet are finite,” and that “the best test of an artist is how well we [sic] can use what we have . . .” These brooches are doubly recycled, made from the scraps of abandoned traffic signs that he has used in his larger sculptures. By treating the traffic signs as he would gold or silver, Bally allows them to “transcend their dirty roots” and become objects of beauty rather than symbols of authority. The titles underscore Bally’s ideas by reminding us of the source of his materials.