pour pêcher à deux la lune 1984

Curator: This delicate construction is titled "pour pêcher à deux la lune," or "to fish for the moon with two," made by Robert Filliou in 1984. It's a mixed-media sculpture that includes found objects. Editor: My first impression is quiet fragility. These simple materials, arranged so minimally, evoke a longing for something unattainable. I love its ethereal quality. Curator: Filliou often worked with humble, readily available materials. What strikes me here is the directness of process. Look at the unadorned wood poles and the deliberate way the string is arranged. You can see how he brought together the individual elements, with labor showing throughout. Editor: Yes, that bareness allows us to focus on the relationship between the elements: wood, string, small bits and bobs... Like visual poetry, each chosen for its symbolic resonance, but assembled into a work that surpasses literal explanation. I see not just the materials, but the mind behind them. The string that appears ready to loop...like the line cast from a rod! Curator: Given that it's called "to fish for the moon with two," is Filliou inviting us to partake in the act of creating something unattainable, to create some conceptual experience around his practice, together? He uses the most economical means possible, no real waste in what he does! Editor: I do wonder how Filliou conceptualizes "value" in these arrangements... is it about accessibility and rejecting more capital intensive work? Perhaps making artwork more grounded and tangible? Or even, playfully defying art’s pretensions with wit and charm. Curator: That makes me consider play and artistic expression: his work invites us into a space of lighthearted contemplation... what appears fragile to our eyes transforms, perhaps, into powerful, playful resilience, through its intentional construction, wouldn't you say? Editor: Ultimately, "to fish for the moon with two" really made me ponder how humble things gain such importance and can create something thought-provoking when they are put together mindfully. Curator: And it makes one think about how materials such as these—the very basics, become more like metaphors for us to reflect upon ourselves through imagination and whimsy.