The Taquin spirit
A sculpture by Bruce Krebs.


Teenager, I played a game named "The Taquin". This play consite to be given in the order of the numbers. These figures are registered on 15 pawns on a plate of 16 boxes.

In 1891, in the United States, a man called Sam Loyd stated himself to be the inventor for it.          

versions :


I thus had the idea to transpose this idea in sculpture. My process was initially "mathematical". Each part has to enter a parallelepiped, not to block itself between them. Only one part could cover the others, not two ! Thus the foliage of the tree is the only pawns witch is being able to cover more than one part...

And the subject was set up... Instead of 16 parts (4x4), I preferred 12 (4x3). A man and a woman tease themselves nicely. They are lying along a stock of a tree. The provision of their bodies takes the squaring of the play into account .







Even if the basis of my project is a play, the result is a sculpture.
The box empties obstructed me. To maintain the parts between them, I made manufacture a framework. I understood whereas I could avoid having this empty box, by taking down part of the framework...







On the photographs attached, we can see the part of the framework which slides, involving with it a part. Thanks to this vacant space left, we can move the other parts as we want...



... and once completed combination, we can "close again" the framework.



Each combination is, in itself, a new sculpture. Nobody is obliged "to finish" the play. Even if it is very trying...





I added two cats, then a third, to balance the unit.


But we can also mix the parts to make a new sculpture...




Length : 35,9 cm, Width : 29,9 cm, Height : 22 cm.



I made a small 2 minutes and 30 seconds movie about the recombining of the "taquin spirit".






Do you want to go back tothe art gallery ?

 

Bruce Krebs, sculptor
9 ter street Amelot, 17 000 La Rochelle,
France, Europe.
if you want to send to me an E-mail:atelier.bruce.krebs@wanadoo.fr