Summary
Struck Dumb is a large, bulbous steel structure which rests directly on the floor. Described by one critic as a 'giant black pumpkin of welded steel' (Sarah Kent, Time Out, 4-11 January 1989, p.35), its squat form appears from most angles to be entirely enclosed. Only on one side does an opening reveal itself. This aperture is plugged by a sheet of rust-red steel cut into a shape vaguely resembling a bow-tie. The sheet does not seal the opening completely, and a small gap remains at floor level. The viewer must crouch low to peer inside the work, which is then revealed to be a hollow structure, simply a thin membrane of sheet metal. Struck Dumb is constructed from four sections of welded steel bolted together to form a single entity. It was made by a team of metalworkers at the Govan shipyards under the supervision of the artist, working from a solid wooden maquette. The main body of the sculpture has been chemically patinated to a silvery black colour… (read more)
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