Aaron Alderman's equivocal piece, Defining a Dream, is a weathered metal sculpture that reveals his visual interpretation of the human body and mind. The piece expresses a connection between the physical world and the realm of the subconscious. Through Alderman's artistic intent, thought and skill, Defining a Dream allows the viewer a glimpse into the subliminal mind of a human.
Despite certainty Alderman's piece is a depiction of the human body, specifically male, the sex of the of the figure seems arbitrary. While the ambiguous sculpture in its entirety lacks realistic quality, the posture is surprisingly natural, as it displays contrapposto and a slight pivot of the head and shoulders. The sculptures' skeletal figure presents a combination of rusted wired patterns that dramatizes the separation between different areas of the piece. The torso, along with the arms and legs are composed of mangled steel cables which follow a chaotic design, while the upper body, hands and feet pursue a more uniform pattern. As for the materials used in Alderman's creation, Defining a Dream is composed solely of two metals, steel and copper. Although the piece is constructed primarily of steel, the artist uses copper accents, like the varying metal work, to emphasize selective components of the sculpture. While the use of these two metals illustrates diversity, the oxidized finish presents the sculpture with aged character and a sense of unity. Complementing the rusted steel, the distinctive green color of the copper provides a visual contrast for symbolic parts of the body. However, Alderman is incredibly frugal with the copper detail in his design, using this embellishment only on the head and hands.
Several notable characteristics of Defining a Dream, such as the tarnished metal work and the sculpture's arthritic build, are used as metaphorical devices to portray age and wisdom. These qualities reflect Alderman's creative translation of the human body and mind as they mature. Physically, hence its broad shoulders, tall stature and wide stance, the aged figure appears to be male. However, despite the obvious masculine features of Alderman's sculpture, its gender, like all contemporary art, is subjective and relative to the viewer.
As for the physicality of Defining a Dream, undoubtedly the head of figure is the most distinguished part of Alderman's sculpture. The piece is the crowned with an array of six eerie human-like figurines, who all appear to face the same direction in which the head is tilted. This image implies that these haunting individuals have the ability to influence the thoughts of the human mind. To represent a latent meaning, Alderman creates variety among the miniature beings by alternating the two oxidized metals, resulting in a total of three copper figures and three steel figures. Along with the contrasting colors, the artist shapes each character into notably different heights to suggest the human mind is impacted by a blended group of influencers. This portrait of diversity introduces a concept of multiple personalities or perspectives and their tendency to guide the subconscious mind. Ultimately, this image reflects the human minds susceptibility to different ideas and beliefs in the surrounding world.
The mind is universally recognized as the source of creativity, intuition, inspiration, inner knowing, interconnectedness, and spiritual enlightenment. However, rather than the origin for these facets of knowledge, this piece infers that the mind is comparable to sponge, continually soaking up new information. Representing this acumen for intellectual growth, Defining a Dream is Alderman's artistic translation of the mind's intricate nature. The piece also illustrates the artists' personal explanation for how the human mind adapts to culture and time. Alderman uses this essential aspect of the sculpture, as well as its title, to allude to a similar theme of 'mind vs. body', a motif which represents a correlation between the tangible and intangible.
Apart from the figurines gracing the top of the sculpture, the hands are the only other feature to receive the copper accents. The figures hands, as well as the headpiece, seem elaborate compared to the rest of the sculpture, signifying their importance. This observation suggests there is a correlation between the amount of detail and the amount of meaning. The hands, because of their symbolic nature, are an especially meaningful piece of the sculpture. Often in literature and other forms of art, hands appear as a motif, which always symbolizes the human race in some form or another. In regards to the hands on Alderman's creation, there can be endless interpretations of their design. One explanation for the hand's extra detail is that this single feature is intended to be a representation of the entire physical body, while the head of the piece is used to represent the mind. The hands are chosen out of all the other potential body parts because they are an extraordinarily honest symbol for mankind, with the ability to reflect a person's life.
In conclusion, the meaning of Alderman's obscure sculpture is open to numerous translations. Ultimately, by inspiring the viewer to think deeply, thoughtfully contemplating each facet of the piece, Defining a Dream really is able to capture the mind of a human.
