Something is going to happen. An implement implies action. It is used. An implement does something. However, it cannot do anything on its own. It is only by interaction with a person that it can fulfill its function. When you look at an implement you know that it is meant to be held and used. There is an implied physical contact and a latent history of activity.

An implement does something, but does that something have to be physical? These works investigate the idea that tools can serve a purpose other than the purely mechanical.

Perhaps an implement can perform a cathartic function: it not only slices and dices, it mends a broken heart. Maybe the long sought after ‘attitude adjuster’ is something you can hold in your hand. Or imagine if the tool you are holding could change shape or mutate to reflect the mood you are in. It could act as a signal to others, a means of non verbal communication in intimate relationships.

Tracey Clement
1997

Implements was first shown in 1998 as one of the inaugural exhibitions at Object Galleries, Sydney, Australia.

The spanners were shown as a window installation, As Seen on TV, in the 1998 Walking the Streets at the Mitre 10, Newtown, NSW.

In 2000, the series was exhibited as Utility at the Dowse Art Museum, Lower Hutt, NZ.

Photos: Pink photos by Tandy Rowley, photographer unknown for installation in NZ, other photos by Tracey Clement.