Tightrope, Zooming In

Artist Elias Sime (Ethiopian, Born 1968)

Date2012

Dimensions83 1/2 × 313 in. (212.1 × 795 cm)

MediumReclaimed electronic components and assorted small ephemera on panel

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Florence Scott Libbey Bequest in Memory of her Father, Maurice A. Scott

Object number

2018.12A-JJJ

Not on View

Label TextElias Sime’s masterful assemblages transform everyday materials into lyrical and intricate compositions inspired by a wide swath of references, from Modernist abstraction to Ethiopian textiles. Tightrope, Zooming In is part of his Tightrope series comprising colorful compositions made from repurposed electronic components—computer keyboards, circuit boards, and telecommunication wires—sourced from markets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital, where he is based. Sime believes in the power and ability of even the smallest or mundane of materials to tell complex stories. As insinuated in the series title, these works speak to the tenuous balance between technological advancement and its associated costs in massive amounts of e-waste severely impacting our environment and way of being. Tightrope, Zooming In resembles an aerial view of a sprawling topographical landscape and includes figuration, which could be a bird in flight or an individual with outstretched arms. Because of its monumental scale, the work overwhelms and reminds us of our imprint while renewing the potential of these discarded materials to create new forms of energy.