I did this task because I thought it would be simple, easy, and satisfying, all things I needed in light of the revolution, the wars, and the coming holiday season. Simplicity especially was important.

I am both very visual and tactile, a combination that makes it easy for me to do things with my hands with my eyes shut. Perfect for this task.

The task calls for shaping something that you sense in the room. As you look at what I sculpted, it will be obvious that this object/being was not physically in the room. I have several reasons for choosing it. First, in my life right now, no matter where I go, there is an undercurrent of the difficulties of my life in this last half of 2007 (most largely the separation from my wife and the hardships it has caused) that sits in the air, heavy and leaden. If anyone has walked around with the proverbial "elephant in the room" following them like a stray dog smelling bacon in your pockets, it is me. The elephant is constantly sensed in the room, though seldom discussed.

Second, this task reminded me of an old story that most of you will know. It is the blind men and the elephant, about 6 blind men asked to feel an object and describe it. Each one describes a different object (a fan, a snake, a spear, a wall, a tree trunk, and a rope), but it turns out they are each only touching a part of the total, which is an elephant (the fan is the ear, the snake is the trunk, the spear is the tusk, the wall is the side, the tree trunk is the leg, and the rope is the tail), the moral being that often when things are examined too closely, one misses the overall picture. There's a poem version of the story that is posted at this site. This idea seemed perfect for the task, and as I sculpted each part I imagined each of the items the blind men came up with.

So I chose to sculpt an elephant. I went to the hobby shop, which is very close by, and purchased some air dry clay.



I'd never used this clay before, but it was soft and squishy, and just a little more elastic than real clay.



I covered my eyes with my trusty keffiyeh (I am so happy that I can now make use of this which I've had for many years, as it seems to be a popular tasking fashion trend).



I dug in, but unfortunately my ability to photograph what I was working on blindfolded was limited. Here's the final image, though (the others you can see below). It took me about 40 minutes to an hour to sculpt (I worked fast because I was worried about it drying while I worked).



Lastly, I found someone to give it to. I walked along Geary Blvd. in my neighborhood for a while, and kept saying, "they'd be good... but... what about them... no them...." and just couldn't get myself to give it to anyone. I saw two women in a cafe, considered giving it to them but changed my mind, but then they left the cafe and walked the same way I was. I chose to let this be a sign, stopped them, and explained my situation.

On asking for the title, I asked them to try to come up with something a little metaphorical, as the object was clearly an elephant, and titling it "elephant" seemed too simplistic. They obliged, and the shorter one chose the name "Thunder". I gave it to her, and although her friend seemed to think the whole thing weird, they both smiled for the photo, pretty as you please.



The simplicity of working with my hands, without sight, putting together (at least metaphorically) the larger picture from the smaller details and putting a name to that thing hanging around, all the time, in the air, was hugely satisfying.