By Alyn Weisman
(from Fall 2007) David Buckingham is the kind of metalhead who wanders desolate Southern California in search of discarded road signs, rusted industrial pieces, forgotten car parts and any other long-lost appendages. Without altering color, Buckingham skillfully welds one person's trash into precious metal masterpieces as he crafts his large-scale wall sculptures. Born in Texas, educated at the Rivington School in New York City, and now retuned from a five-year stint in Australia that honed his metal-working techniques, Buckingham is located in Los Angeles, where his work reflects his current residence. With his flair for incorporating Hollywood movie lines ("SHOW ME THE MONEY") into his art and commenting on the city of Los Angeles ("I LOVE TO HATE L.A."), Buckingham has become one of the most noteworthy sculptors on the West Coast. "In good California-assemblage, Buckingham renders his panels from found and welded metal, incorporating the rusty tints and textures and the oddly sweet colors of mid-century tin cans and car parts into everything from minimalist abstractions to evocations of folk quilts to wise-ass signage...Buckingham's formula is as flatfooted as they come, and that only enhances the bad-boy charm of the resulting hyper-plaques," says Peter Frank in LA Weekly. "The funny thing is, and I swear this is true, this whole movie line thing started when I spotted a kid wearing a ‘FEEL LUCKY PUNK?' T-shirt," explains the artist. "I look for movie lines with an edge that have sunk into the consciousness, lines that resonate years after a film's release. I also look for films with challenging subject matter, gravitas and a certain darkness to them: Taxi Driver, Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, Scarface, Cool Hand Luke, Full Metal Jacket, Dirty Harry, The Shining, Apocalypse Now, etc.; I wouldn't do a line from Wizard of Oz, for example, though someone asked me to, once. I politely declined. People have also suggested Play it Again, Sam. Nah." With Hollywood as his work setting and muse, Buckingham's pieces have been made more popular by the recognition of famous film lines on the magnified metal text wall sculptures. "As far as greatest response, I'd have to say ‘ME LOVE YOU LONG TIME' is the most popular, but 'SQUEAL LIKE A PIG, BOY' certainly provoked the most visceral response. I heard more than one person say they wouldn't put ‘SQUEAL' in their home, and a lot of people shuddered when they saw it. That made me very happy." Whether you choose to feel or squeal, Buckingham's images - expressed in raw, rusted relief - never fail to provoke communication. -MPM David Buckingham is represented in Los Angeles by the Peter Mendenhall Gallery. |
