Rrrun (2006)

Perched on a single foot, the other thrown out behind it like that of a sprinter, a naked figure looks as if has been captured in midstride.  Its plump, nongendered anatomy suggests a toy—or maybe, a small child captured in the midst of a particularly vivid kind of imaginative play, as its forward-slanted torso merges upwards into the form of a car. The simplified shape of a vintage sporty coupe begins just above the buttocks in back. In front, just above its navel, the body merges smoothly into the car’s underside, its plump curves disappearing into the vehicle’s rectilinear form. 

The whole of the car is present, but only half of the humanoid figure. The piece’s title—Rrrun—suggests the sound that toddlers make as they push cars around, creating their own version of engine roar. But the sculpture is much bigger than a child, as if to remind us that that, as adults, we do become cars: commuting for hours each day, or just driving from one place to another: home to school to store to home, over and over. Thoma Hall’s running figure invokes the long history of hybrid creatures, from centaurs to mermaids.  

Cast in a relatively lightweight mixture of cement and fiberglass, Rrrun looks like it’s carved out of stone. This humorous contrast to its speedy pose is a reminder of traditional approaches to the figure in public sculpture. Historically, many such works give the impression of being rooted in place, on two feet or four (in the case of equestrian statues), conveying permanence and timelessness. Thoma Hall’s running figure invokes the uncertainly of modern life—the speed at which change moves through our lives, upending all conventions—and the necessity to remain nimble. Located on the edge of Palo Alto’s Bowden Park, the sculpture is near the intersection of Alma Street and the Oregon Expressway and directly across from the California Street train station. Its placement connects it not only to pedestrians but to the thousands who drive by daily.

Rrrun is a reminder of both the playfulness that we have hidden inside us and of what we give up to become adults. If we can recall the lightness of childhood, Thoma Hall seems to be suggesting, perhaps we can survive the weight of adult responsibility. At the same time, we can enjoy the feeling of freedom and the mobility that cars provide, and the ability they give us to escape our daily lives, even if only for the length of time it takes to get from here to there.

-Maria Porges