Martin Creed
Work No. 335: THINGS
Work n 335: THINGS is a pink neon light sculpture by Martin Creed, and part of a larger series of neon works called Flashing One Second On, One Second Off. As the title of the project describes, the neon sign repeatedly lights up in bright pink for one second, and then turns off for one second, revealing the mechanisms behind its halcyon glow. Reduced to a single word that disappears every other second, the work is illuminated as quickly as it is extinguished. Referencing the technicolor advertising strategies of the 1980s and 1990s, the work both offers and revokes the unattainable promise of consumerist fulfilment. As with much of Creed’s work, the neon sculpture interrogates the role and value of art in both social and economic contexts. Humorous and simple, the work is an effective example of Creed’s artistic philosophy.