Prof Alan Alborough, medeprofessor by Beeldende Kunste, se kunswerk getiteld "work[ing/in} pro[cess/gress]" is een van daardie kunserke wat smeek om reaksie - veral jou eie. 䴝n Tema - en elkeen is getegtig om sy eie een saam te stel - is insypeling.

Reeds maande gelede, met die opening van die uitstalling in die Sasol Kunsmuseum in Ryneveldsraat, was Alborough gereed om in te sypel. Kartonbokse, duisende plastieksakkies, plastiekemertjies, plastiekbotteltjies, plastiektolletjies, klampe, skroewe, en duisende meters tou was netjies verpak vir die begin van die insypelingsproses.

Soos die maande verbygesleur het, het Alborough dae, nagte en naweke deurgewerk om die kunswerk deur die imposante sirkelopening in die hoofsaal van die Kunsmesum as‰¥út ware te laat afsak - totdat dit tans midde in die museum se heiligdom en trots, die prof J du P Scholtz-versameling staan, vanwaar dit verder insypel in mengings, opmerkings --- én aanmerkings.

Met die gebruik van plastiek lewer alborough moontlik kommentaar op die plastieksak-debat. Moontlik gaan dit oor die water en soutbottels wat 䴝n uitwas- en helingsproses uitbeeld, of moontlik is dit die ingewikkelde French knitting-tema wat ingespan work.

Van die staanspoor af is dié hekelproses in die kunswerk gebruik. Van plaaslike leerders wat deelgeneem het aan die proses deur te tolletjiebrei tot die honderde meters tou wat gebruik is om ‰¥ùn web te span regom die opening bokant die Museum se hoofsaal. Jy hou van die proses- en progressietema-uitstalling of jy hou nie daarvan nie. Jy betrag die kliniese plastiek-insypeling as ‰¥ùn vrotse poging om publisiteit te genereer of jy bewonder dit as ‰¥ùn fyn deurweefde kunswerk waamatoe jy ander gaan saamsleep. Jy het al na die kunswerk gaan kyk of jy eeet jou middagete-toebroodjies vir die duisendste keer op dieselfde plek.

Anders gestel - gaan kyk net die dekselse ding!

Kampusnuus, October 23 2003 [English translation]
Artwork in Sasol has tongues wagging

The artwork titled "work [ing/in] pro [cess/gress]" of Professor Alan Alborough, associate professor at Fine Arts, is one of those artworks that beg for response - especially one䴜s own. A theme - and everyone is entitled to create his or her own - is infiltration.

Alborough has been ready to infiltrate since the opening of the exhibition in the Sasol Art Museum in Ryneveld Street. Cardboard boxes, thousands of plastic bags, buckets, bottles, spools, clamps, screws and thousands of meters of rope have been packaged neatly to start the infiltration process.

As the months plodded on Alborough worked through days, nights and weekends to let the artwork descend, as it were, through the imposing circular opening in the main hall of the Art Museum until it stood in the centre of the Prof J du P Scholtz collection, the museum䴜s sanctuary and pride, from where it infiltrates further into meanings, remarks... and criticism.

Alborough possibly uses plastic to comment on the debate around plastic bags. Maybe it is about the water and salt bottles that depict a process of healing and cleansing, or possibly it is the intricate French knitting theme that is being employed.

Right from the start this crochet process is being used in the artwork. From the local learners that participated in the process through French knitting, to the hundreds of meters of rope that were used to weave a web around the opening above the Museum䴜s main hall.

You either like the exhibition with its themes of process and progress, or you do not. You observe the clinical plastic infiltration as a weak effort to generate publicity or you admire it as a delicately interwoven artwork to which you will drag others. You either have seen the artwork or you eat your luncheon sandwiches for the thousandth time in the same place.

To phrase it differently - just go look at the darn thing!