Stainless steel
10 x 18 x 18 feet
A circle of people with their heads together in a whispered exchange can be many things—a meeting, a group hug, a scrum—but it is always a gesture of togetherness. In Tom Friedman’s Huddle, nine oversize figures rise from the earth, arms linked to create a dome with their bodies. The form implies collaboration and teamwork, especially within the context of The Star in Frisco, where this universal gesture has a more specific meaning.
Friedman created the crinkled texture by sculpting the figures from disposable roasting pans, then casting them in stainless steel. This imperfect surface looks as if a child took a discarded pie tin in their hands and idly molded the players, enacting a football game with the mashed up pieces of foil. By creating his monumental sculpture in a domestic material, Friedman marries the mundane and the magical. While his medium, methods, and materials vary, this sense of childlike wonder and humor can be found in all of Friedman’s work. In looking at Huddle, we draw a little closer together.