Lifeguard [Acqua]
Date:
2019
Ref:
0933
Materials:
Stretcher bed, wooden mannequin, diverse textiles, webbing, rope, inflatable life ring, various water recipients and objects, ceramic resin hands and feet
Dimensions:
200 x 290 x 177h cm. Plinth 300 x 240 cm
Exhibition history:
2019 Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, Museo Novencento, Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy
Courtesy:
Lucy + Jorge Orta
Drawing inspiration from the basic elements: air, fire, earth, and water, ‘Lifeguard Aqua’ is one of four figurative sculptures alongside Amazonia, Fuoco, and Aira. The figures echo the mythological gods and divinities depicted in the Italian frescoes of the Sala degli Elementi of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, where they were first presented together in 2019. In the Lifeguard series, the stretcher bed acts as a signifier symbolising care and support; here the human figure is carrying and being carried simultaneously. Surrounded by an array of functional and symbolic objects that reference planet earth’s increasingly diminishing resource, the work evokes the urgent need to develop more sustainable ways of living with and protecting water, clean air, energy, and biodiversity.