Thursday 5 January 2012

Semiotics Of Slippage

A certain slippage has taken place in both the form and content of this drawing, the shooting of a child, on a sea-cliff. The canoe has slipped out of the excited young boy’s shorts. The ejaculation of smoke (puff?) clearly signifies the canoe’s deflation and expulsion from the said boy’s shorts – the ‘real’ gunfire (for gun read, enemy penis): penis enemy - colonialist impotence in the face native firepower. The gun – instrument of penetration - his held in a rock-steady hand. The boy holds on to the rock with a steady hand. The sea-canoe – carrier of seamen - is impotent; the boy is about to be holed. But this is only half of a bigger picture.

To be continued...

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