Description

GENUINE REPLICA

This phrase originated in an art performance I conducted in the late 1990s. The performance involved my walking around downtown Atlanta with a vending cart and blocks of wood with this phrase stamped on them. I engaged passers-bye in conversation where I would claim that the block of wood was in fact a replica of some object in the environment I pointed to. The object most often chosen was a manhole cover…the blocks of wood were squares. All of this was my attempt to counter argue Nelson Goodman’s theory in his book Languages of Art. The second iteration of this phrase in an artwork occurred in 2014. The piece, A Beautiful Manhole Cover Thumbtacked to the Bulletin Board on Nelson Goodman’s Door, was published in The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism (Winter 2015, Volume 73, Issue 1) — a special edition on printmaking. This piece, which should be considered a photograph, concerns the ontology of printmaking. The words “GENUINE REPLICA” were hand-printed on a letter press.

The current iteration, in t-shirt form, is probably the most interesting as the referent of the phrase is ambiguous. It could be the shirt and it could be the wearer. Both? The most intriguing thing about the human referent is that it’s true of our actual lack of persistence as physical things. Each successive moment we believe ourselves to be the same persisting thing but in actuality our bodies are constantly replacing cells and our memories, beliefs and personalities are not indefinitely preserved.

“GENUINE REPLICA” has a tinge of humor for the thinking person as it seems contradictory in itself. The objective here is to wrap a lot up in a bite size conversation starter.

SHIRT qualities:

Treat yourself with this lightweight t-shirt. It has a slim fit and is made from a mix of cotton and polyester. Not only will your shirt have a well-worn feel to it, but it will also wrinkle less and require little to no ironing. What’s more, it stops the garment from shrinking, so it will last for longer.

• 50% ring-spun and combed cotton, 50% polyester
• 7/8″ (2.22 cm) seamed crew neck collar
• 1″ (2.54 cm) double-needle bottom hem
• 1″ (2.54 cm) blind-stitch sleeve hem
• Shoulder-to-shoulder tape
• Slim fit
• Blank products stocked in the US are made in USA
• Blank products stocked in the EU are sourced worldwide