LEE MCDONALD, Test 1450, 2020
"Test 1450" was executed on Monday 5th of October at Big Art Fair at Hembrugterrein, Amsterdam-Noord/Zaandam, Netherlands. The rubber drive belt slipped and the weight of the F14 fighter caused overheating; a strong smell of burnt rubber could be detected. Lee decided to abandon the unusual job of the cement mixer and not force the device's drive belt any further.
"Test 1450", 2020
cardboard, tape, concrete mill
and neon tube objects # and !
‘My work is about investigating mechanical processes when objects and materials are set in motion and tested by me. I like to think of my work as a quasi-scientific series of experiments, putting pressure on "reactionary" ideas about sound and physics. ‘
Lee McDonald works with all kinds of materials, varying from found objects such as a feather duster, plastic swimming pool, a wheelbarrow or a hammer combined with recycled motors, drills, fans, elastics, etc.
In “Test 1450” the choice of materials for an airplane with concrete mixer seems unusual at first, but when you consider Lee McDonald's unstoppable urge to test, a lot is possible. Here he has added, among others, a hashtag symbol made from neon tubes. For him, the use of hashtags is a sign of the times of today that can be seen as a weapon. It has crept into our lives and now we are bombarding ourselves and others with it.
Kees van Gelder