SMELLS LIKE MALIC MOULDS
Malic Moulds are, of course, what Duchamp calls the forms he “drew” on his Large Glass. Given my almost fetishistic interest in Duschamp, I have a term that I use when the forms on my piece of paper seem sort of Duschampian. I call the drawing, Smells Like Malic Moulds. The two drawings on this page are from what one would call, I guess, the Smells Like Malic Moulds series. I have many of these. I have already posted some of these and they say on the bottom, Smells Like Malic Moulds.
In a previous post, I stated that there is a Malic Mouldsness in the 15th C drawings of Brunelleschi. And I think that there is a Malic quality to the overlapping forms of Frank Gehry. Possibly you get a sense of what I am talking about. Probably you don’t.
And of course Smells Like Malic Moulds is a play off of Nirvana’s song Smells Like Teen Spirit.
C4H6O5 (dicarboxylic acid) Hummm. This is somewhat amusing, but perhaps a private joke? In “Nine Malic Moulds” from 1914-1915, Duchamp incorporated lines that point to the figures’ sex! Are these sexy drawings? We certainly desire sexy buildings. Also, Duchamp made the molds metaphorically, “invisible” because he didn’t want to show the inside. This is quite different than the ideas in Transparent Drawing. In addition, “Nine Malic Moulds” were done in lead without paint, so your last drawing somewhat captures Duchamp’s object. Hummm. “Smells like Malic Moulds”… I wonder what malic acid smells like? We know what it tastes like: a pleasantly sour taste of fruits, and used as a food additive. Perfect for summer. Cheers!