Art Metropole

#16817

My lord, we were sent for (oblong balance)

Artist

Jonathan Middleton

Price

$4.00

Date

2025

Publisher

Unspecified Art & Design Projects

Format

Ephemera

Size

10.2 × 15.2 cm

Genre

Postcard

This postcard, from a series produced by Middleton for his 2025 solo exhibition Confounded by Time at OHCE-ECHO in Vancouver, depicts the “Tychonic system”, a model of the known universe devised by 16th century Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. Brahe’s model attempts to bridge the gap between the classic geocentric and newer heliocentric models, by proposing a model wherein the sun revolves around the earth, but all other planets revolve around the sun.

The work adds, by way of an image description, Guildenstern’s sheepish admission to Hamlet that he and Rosencrantz are compromised as friends; arriving on the summons of the King and Queen. Science journalist Dan Falk speculates that Shakespere’s Hamlet may have been penned as an allegory for the debate around Copernican theory, and that these two minor characters in the play stand in for Brahe’s flawed attempt at a middle ground. Middleton adds a final, more contemporary reference to the parenthetical title of work, referencing Norman Finkelstein’s sardonic quip about balanced reporting – that being criticized by flat-earthers on one hand, and round-earthers on the other, one might presume that the oblong-earthers are correct.

4×6”, digitally printed as a first edition of 50 each.