Herman Makkink’s Rocking Machine
Hermann Makkink’s art became popular after his phallic “Rocking Machine” was featured in Stanley Kubrick’s controversial movie “A Clockwork Orange.” For the first time since 1969, a limited edition of this sexually charged sculpture is available through a private auction conducted by the Dutch artist himself. I’m a huge fan of Kubrick’s movie, but I’d rather buy a droog’s costume instead.
March 8, 2006 - Category: Art - Posted by: Phil - Comments: 1
December 19th, 2006 at 8:07 am
I saw this sculpture back in the Seventies when I, as a young teenager “Skinhead,” I went to watch the film Clockwork Orange. Even as an uncultured “Yob” I remember being intrigued by it, and of course all the other wonderful artworks in that movie. Kubric has always been keen to juxtapose polarities for maximum effect. By surrounding the ugliness of gang violence with aesthetic objects you somehow intensify it’s ugliness - at least that’s the theory.
I myself use this system in my work - a little dash of paradox goes a long way to put meaning onto meaninglessness, reality into the surreal, light into darkness. It’s an old Trantric trick that goes back hundreds of years.