partir pour épopée de plain pied

22:20 Oct 5, 2010 

From what I know about him, I think it's about the way his kinetic sculptures (Tags, Rugs, Floats) moved, i.e. on ground level in a kind of haphazard slow way (that could be considered 'epic' as in the epic journey of a snail) then scratching the plinths and (hieratic) sides of the exhibitions on the way out?

20:59 Oct 5, 2010 

The down-to-earth (literally, when it's not on water or in the air) adventure, taking the edges off (so-called) minimalist work by being even more 'minimalist'.

20:20 Oct 5, 2010 

Yes, my take on "épopée" was the sort of thing when someone one is waiting for arrives quite late and they say "Quelle épopée!" meaning "I had a hell of a time getting here!" because of traffic or whatever.

20:13 Oct 5, 2010 

@ Carol

You did mention "moving sculpture"!

@ emiledgar

I agree, it definitely needs some kind of an article.

20:11 Oct 5, 2010 

but having said that, I wonder if it could have gone astray in a possible scan... May be worth asking the client. Thanks for pointing that out!

20:10 Oct 5, 2010 

well, I would agree with you, but there is none in the text. Promise!

20:08 Oct 5, 2010 

I think you must know this person! This is all moving art - which I should have mentioned before! Taking it down a peg or two also fits in with having a dig... And thanks for your version of épopée - long march (or an equivalent) is another one I wouldn't have thought of on my own!

20:02 Oct 5, 2010 

Call me old-fashioned, but épopée needs an article, non? like 'une"

19:57 Oct 5, 2010 

Sounds like a conceit.
"Plain-pied" is obviously opposed to "socles", so something like sculpture coming down from its pedestal.
"Épopée", I'd read as a kind of "long march" or rather glide, a silent revolution against the more formal, static aspects of sculpture.

19:57 Oct 5, 2010 

2 of my other possibilities were "... soon took on epic proportions" (which led to my "made it big...") and "... became legendary" or "... thing of legend".

For the rest of the sentence, I have "... having a dig/cocking a snook along the way at minimalistic sculpture, plinths...."
The plinths bit makes sense as he had attached wheels to one of his works of art, thereby making plinths rather redundant. Haven't yet decided between "dig" and "snook"...

19:47 Oct 5, 2010 

the text is copied and pasted as is, which of course doesn't necessarily rule out any typos in the original. Thanks for this possibility!

19:45 Oct 5, 2010 

many thanks for that alternative definition of "de plain pied" - which I have to admit is completely new to me!

19:43 Oct 5, 2010 

Could it mean "took on a truly epic scale"?
What do you make of the rest of the sentence?

19:24 Oct 5, 2010 

partent alors pour épopée or should that read partent alors pour l'épopée? I'd see it as "head off for the front door into epic history", "the front door" being the "approved", "respectable", "honourable" way, as opposed to some stinking, circuitous back-door entry to fame and fortune. Admittedly, however, in the English sense, front doors tend not to be same-level, but have steps leading up to them!

19:20 Oct 5, 2010 

THis is more poetic alliteration. The important idea seems to be figuratively starting a long journey -

de plain-pied 2. (Figuré) (Familier) Sans que cela souffre de difficulté.
* Cela va de plain-pied.