I Think Size Does Matter

We are so used to the ‘correct’ size of things that we normally don’t really think about size (OK, except in that one area, but that will be a different discussion.)

The first time I had my nose stubbed on the fact that sizes are not god-given was through a little reader sci-fi story in one of those weekly novellas. For all of you German speaker - is was Perry Rhodan. This little short story described a race that mobilized all it’s resources to attack its perceived enemy - Terra - and crossed space to reach it with it’s flotilla of war vessels. The command ship then was, on landing, mistaken for a can and playfully kicked by a boy and destroyed.

This obviously had quite some impact on me as I still remember that little story after so many years.

Men in Black II also tackles this idea nicely in the last scene.

I was reminded of this today by some interesting photos of sculptures by Ron Mueck that dribbled into my email box. This artist started out as a creator of props for movie studios and apparently learned a lot about the creation of life like figures. For the movies he had to build his creation so that they looked right only from one angle, but when he started to use his talents to create fine art he was able to create his props, that are now art, so that they looked right from all angles.

Just not from the size-angle. And this is what makes his work so interesting. He does not deviate from the god-given size too much, as in the two examples given above.

They are just different enough to feel that things can be indeed different than we are used to.

He sometimes goes bigger…

Big woman in bed - Ron Mueck