'Trophies of Empire' by Donald Locke

A piece of art titled 'Trophies of Empire' was made by Donald Locke in 1972. It is six feet tall and has 27 slots in which differently sized, ceramic forms are put into candle holders and trophy cups. Only ones in the bottom are freestanding and these in the middle are connected to each other. The author admits that he found most of them either on the Portobello Road market or in junk shops.

It is not obvious what meaning does the work have but at least the title reveals some information about the genesis. However, there is still a question about whose are these trophies and what Empire is it all about.

Locke had written a letter shortly before he died explaining some issues: 'cylindrical shapes are ''bullets''' and he accepted the fact that most of the people would not read it in this way. He was from Guyana, country which used to be under the rule of the United Kindgdom. There were happening athletic meetings which were really big events then. The prize for the winner was given in a form of a cup or a trophy. It is now clear that these objects were very valuable.

There are different comments on this cabinet.. One of them claims: ''aggressive... unexplained repetition of one shape in larger and smaller sizes makes it all the more suggestive of destruction''. (Corina Lotz, 'The Other Story: Afro - Asian Artists in Post - War Britain, Marxist Monthly, vol. 2, no. 11, p. 482) By others the bullets are also seen as both victims of violence and agressors, a pieces of sugar cane to which slavers were bound to and the basis of wealth and many more...

REFERENCES

1. Locke, D. L., (1972); Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/locke-trophies-of-empire-t14319