Hammering Man

Sunset

Hammering Man at 3,110,527 is a 15-foot kinetic sculpture by artist Jonathan Borofsky, located at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) in La Jolla. Installed in 1988, this black-painted steel sculpture features a motorized arm that continuously hammers, representing the universal worker and human perseverance. It is a prominent feature of the museum’s permanent collection.

Leaving St. James following compline [Compline: one of the monastic offices, sung at dusk] Sunday, looking across to the Contemporary Art Museum, the Hammering Man was silhouetted against the setting sun.

Years ago, after the motor that makes the hammering arm go up and down, was repaired, the museum director invited a young autistic boy, who loved to sit and watch the hammer go up and down, to press the button to restart the man’s arm.

The boy was delighted.

So am I each time I walk past.

Not only is it a unique piece, set alongside one of the busiest streets in La Jolla, but it is a reminder of the nobility of manual work in a community that now harbors billionaire digital creators.

The jury is out about how history will record the emergence of AI, that commands so much attention right now. But even if it takes over much of what we demean by referring to it as scut work, the issue remains; what do we humans do that confirms the dignity that is a bedrock piece of being human?

I suppose you might consider the museum Woke, since it is an elite institution presuming to honor work far from elite.

Woke, comes from awake, which, if we are to recover from the dehumanizing chasm currently separating the insanely rich from those who do the work that supports them, we had better wake up.

Perhaps the issue with AI is not so much whether it will become smart enough to outwit us, as an issue that has been with us forever. That is, does money and/or class, determine who is honored, valued?

Or is simply being a fellow human, worthy of what is too often reserved for those who consider themselves elite?

Hammering Man stakes that claim with everyone who passes by.