Cavemanman, Thomas Hirschhorn's contribution to the International, has recieved media attention, skepticism, and excitement from many.
As one man said after experiencing the installation, "It's clever but art is not supposed to be clever." Whether art is or is not supposed to be clever is another debate, but the comment stands, epitomizing the debate over what Cavemanman is and what it means.
Having experienced the work with a few different groups, interprutations vary from, "the collapse of society," to, "the brilliance of the human mind." Of course response varies but no matter what the response, the viewer has always seemed to be certain in their interpretation, weighing each element until reaching an ultimate conclusion.
Hirschhorn's lecture silenced every attempt to impose all-inclusive meaning on the work. He moved from black-and-white slide to black-and-white slide, reveling in his infatuation with caves, among other things, and explaining the signifigance of each oversized book and erotic poster--at times with philosophy and at others, with economics. No, that hole in the ceiling is not commentary on light but rather a safety precaution. Yes, those books hooked up to bombs then hooked up to human figures reference the explosion of thought and inspiration in the human mind. Yes, no, yes, yes, no... No matter what his explanation, one characteristic stood; most of the elements of the installation are to be seen individually and not always as a collective meaning.
His presentation and explanation brought me into check--forcing me to remember what art is a lot of the time: a reflection of thought and not necessarily a unified plan. But one idea it did reinforce is the purpose and thought behind art-- that no element is there for no reason.