Projection by David McDiarmid

Pay no attention to that man
behind the curtains.
The Wizard of Oz
All Art, certainly celebrated Art, is
widely accepted to be a response
to reality - directly or indirectly, one
way or another. The earliest known
works of Art, found in the Indonesian
island of Sulawesi, are of hands and
animals - inward and outward looking.
They are representations of the hands
that made them and leave a trace of
their maker’s existence - a seemingly
timeless need of mankind.
David’s McDairmid’s practice
playfully, and somewhat ironically,
explores an aspect of reality concerned
with delusion and illusion, relevance,
deception and ultimately the struggle
for power: megalomania.
Monumental gateways have been
built and used for thousands of
years. The Triumphal Arch, considered
to be a Roman invention, is now
emulated the world over. In one, it
encapsulates the megalomaniac’s
desire for legacy and establishes a
history, true or not, that the creator
desires to be remembered. It is
an icon, a conspicuous symbol of
omnipotence - whether given or
taken. The megalomaniac lives Jean-
Paul Satre’s mantra of Man’s desire
(fantasy) to be God.
McDiarmid, like many Artists
before him whose work has
been concerned with ideas of
influence and power -Michelangelo,
Warhol and Hirst to name just a few
- has, intentionally or not, created his
own trademark. David’s motif is not
of the triumphal arch, but rather the
scaffolding for a triumphal arch.
It is a perfect selection, considering
its temporal nature, strength,
stability and ability to aid in
creation - embodying many of the
megalomaniac’s concerns and wider
ideas around the subject. Each
piece he makes incorporates his
scaffolding motif and from there,
he hangs his other concerns. Every
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