Guy Goldstein -

The series of outdoor, site-specific sculptures is a product of the intense period spent at the Omi residency in Hudson, NY. The title Time Signatures refers to the symbols on each line of musical notation sheets, which denote the rhythm at which the passage should be played. The sculptures take their form from a wholly other measurement system, that of the Hudson River Valley native weathervanes. These architectural elements, which Goldstein had not seen before, are designed to measure the wind and have taken on local, even eccentric attributes and kitschy design.

The elements symbolize a local heritage as well as a connection between man and nature; Goldstein places them directly in natural environment, enlarged disconnected from any house or structure. Goldstein’s sculptural interpretation employs their traditional vernacular, but relates it to the real, surprisingly dark history of the quaint town and its surroundings. His series’ iconography alludes to the town’s notorious founders and their rapidly changing, equally infamous descendants: from the first whalers, through the heavy prostitution business and the underground activity (including bootlegging during the dry years), which attracted dirty politicians and racketeers from all over NY State, and up the importation of evicted residents from NYC projects and the crack epidemic in the 1990s. The sculptural interpretations are a comment on the two sides of local heritage, considering the façade of quaint, bohemian lifestyle which dominates the town, with its antique shops and craft fairs. They consider these monuments as public manifestations of these defining moments, portrayed through the eyes of a foreigner, a temporary resident.