Comments on: Can you help identify the yellow sack used in this artwork?

By: Sarah Farrar

Sarah Farrar — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 19:28:17 +0000

I think you're right, Athol, because I've just spotted another Driver work made in 1977 called Pacific Salt featuring what I think are the same sacks. They've been cut up into strips and are white rather than yellow, but the printed name 'Pacific' is there and the work's title seals the salt connection. The work is in the Sarjeant Gallery's collection and it's illustrated on page 13 of Driver's With spirit catalogue.

By: Athol McCredie

Athol McCredie — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 02:10:05 +0000

I’d guess it is a bag that contained salt. A bit of Googling turns up the info that PDV can stand for Pure Dried Vacuum in relation to salt. Pacific Salt is a sub-brand of Cerebos, though whether that brand existed in 1978 I don’t know. BS 998 is a (British Standards Institute) standard used for vacuum salt for food use.
On the other hand BS EN 998 is one used for mortar, so an outside possibility is that the contents were a premixed concrete, which would also fit with the wording about screening, and there is a Pacific Cement Co. based n the Phillipines. PDV might stand for ‘product delay variation’. Salt sounds much more likely though.

By: phil sole

phil sole — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 04:34:15 +0000

haha. incredible indeed. but the sack – i understand some emperor wore it for a while immediately prior to getting a new set of clothes.