mummy sleeping bags made from margaret thatcher’s vintage scarfs by simon denny

san francisco gallery altman siegel has presented security through obscurity, an exhibition by new zealand born, berlin based artist simon denny. featuring new sculptures, wall reliefs and framed works, the show — which was the artist’s first in the city — addressed the interaction of technology, society and aesthetics. in preparation for the exhibition, denny acquired a collection of scarves from an auction of the estate of former prime minister margaret thatcher which he then transformed into self-standing mummies.

simon denny
remainder 2 (detail), 2019
margaret thatcher scarves, patagonia 850 down sleeping bag 30 f/-1 c – r parts, ripstop nylon, down sourced from second hand san francisco garments, carbon fibre, glass fibre, wood
82 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 15 3/4 in
210 x 55 x 40 cm

for security through obscurity at altman siegel, simon denny repurposed thatcher’s scarves — a figure synonymous with the neoliberal agenda advocating free markers — as a sculptural material to create knock-off, bespoke patagonia inc. sleeping bags and nano puff power vests. the result are socio-politically loaded forms designed for individual insulation, which reference the tech and finance culture in contrast to the homeless encampment. the quilted forms are constructed from secondhand down filling, extracted and up cycled from used sleeping bags and garments sourced around san francisco.

for the reliefs, denny used salesforce.com inc. patents that describe software targeting individual users and configure network community protocols. the documents are printed and layered in stacks of glued paper, assembled and then sculptured using a 3D printer tool. the reliefs result in sculpted paper that interpret the aesthetics of bureaucracy, encoding power and property in an increasingly automated economy.

throughout the show, the specifically loaded materials and forms of the sculptural objects and the ways in which they are gathered together elicit discourse about community, individualism and visibility.

simon denny
security through obscurity, 2020
installation view

simon denny
remainder 1 (detail), 2019
margaret thatcher scarves, patagonia 850 down sleeping bag 30 f/-1 c – r parts, ripstop nylon, down sourced from second hand san francisco garments, carbon fibre, glass fibre, wood
82 5/8 x 21 5/8 x 15 3/4 in
210 x 55 x 40 cm

simon denny
security through obscurity, 2020
installation view

simon denny
power vest 4, 2019
scarf formerly owned by margaret thatcher, patagonia m’s down sweater vest parts, down sourced from second hand san francisco garments, ripstop nylon, salesforce and quip embroidered logos, wood, glass, photo paper, cardboard
52 3/4 x 60 1/4 x 9 1/8 in
134 x 153 x 23 cm

simon denny
global charge 3, 2019
UV printed image of scarf formerly owned by margaret thatcher on plastic table cloth, used wool british army blanket, static electricity
tablecloth print:
64 1/8 x 64 1/8 in
150 x 150 cm
wool blanket:
86 5/8 x 66 7/8 in
220 x 170 cm

simon denny
document relief 14 (salesforce.com, inc patent: systems and methods of presenting personalized personas in online social networks), 2019
ink jet print on archival paper, glue, custom metal wall mount
11 3/4 x 8 1/4 x 5 1/2 in
29.7 x 21 x 14 cm