Der Trommler c. 1985 - 1987

Curator: This is Michael Sandle’s “Der Trommler”, currently in the Tate collection. The material presence of this sculpture is striking. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: It's a pretty imposing sculpture, almost dystopian. What do you see in this piece, especially given its scale? Curator: I see a commentary on the industrialization of war and its impact on labor. The faceless figure suggests a loss of individuality, subsumed by the machinery of conflict. Consider the bronze itself, a material often associated with monuments and power, but here, used to depict a figure devoid of agency. Editor: That's a powerful interpretation. I hadn't considered the material in relation to the message. Curator: It’s all about the materials chosen and how they communicate meaning about production, power, and even destruction. This really shifts away from any traditional idea of heroism, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Absolutely. Thinking about the material and its associations gives it a whole new layer.