Crow and Carrion

1981
Woodrow, Bill
Bill Woodrow's ability to metamorphose the unremarkable into the extraordinary is seen clearly in 'Crow and Carrion'. A crow, once a folding black umbrella, pecks at an arm and hand cut from the material of another umbrella, with the metal stem and handle functioning as the bones of the arm. The 'carrion' of the work's title refers to the rotting flesh of the arm and hand, though it might equally describe the discarded everyday rubbish from which the sculpture is constructed. During the 1980s the essence of Bill Woodrow's sculpture was the discovery of images within discarded household objects - the process of creation by recycling. Woodrow's works are constructed with wit and elegance but they usually contain more serious undertones, often relating to the nature of consumerism. Although one section of each work is literally cut out of the other, this is done in such a way that the original part retains its identity. Ann Jones
  • Artwork Details: 37 x 100 x 55cm
  • Edition:
  • Material description: fabric, metal, plastic
  • Credit line: © the artist
  • Theme: Animals, Birds, Insects
  • Medium:
  • Accession number: AC 5231

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

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