Hammering Man Never Far from the CMC
The "Hammering Man" in Seoul, South Korea
How is it that you go on vacation but never get far away from your work place?
For me it was stopping off in Seoul, South Korea, while on a two-week vacation in Asia. The first thing I saw when I stepped out of the Seoul subway was a large, dark statue that looked incredibly familiar. Had I really not flown to South Korea after all but done a non-stop, round-trip flight to Los Angeles?
The statue in question was the "Hammering Man" by Jonathan Borofsky, that incredible tall black statue that shows a steel man raising his right hand to strike a hammer. In Seoul this particular 72-foot version of the statue stands in the heart of the city's business district next to the Heungkuk Life Insurance Co. buidling. In Los Angeles, a "Hammering Man" stands right in front of the California Market Center in the Fashion District.
Ironically, not all that long ago, my colleague Alison Nieder came across the same statue in front of the Messe Frankfurt convention center in Frankfurt, Germany. This is the site of the first permanent "Hammering Man." Many more were to come and now are in locations such as outside the Seattle Art Museum, Dallas, Gainesville, Fla., La Jolla, Calif., and Basel, Switzerland.
In past interviews, Borofsky has said that the "Hammering Man" represents the worker in all of us. I see why it is so popular.
