( w a l l ) (2018)

animated loop

 

( w a l l ) at Godine (2018)

video installation, decal (2:24)

graphite wall rubbing (3'x10')

interactive graphite wall rubbing, decals

( w a l l ) was a part of my senior thesis at MassArt and was exhibited in the Godine Family Gallery where I had been a co-curator and manager in the previous semester. The installation consists of a looped animation with sound running 2 minutes and 24 seconds, at the center of the projection is a title decal displaying the title card for the piece ( w a l l ) . The subject matter is a play on the title; various moving images of walls, literal, figurative, and abstract are used to create a montage-style exploration of the word and its various meanings in our current context. The idea from this work started from my experience as a gallery steward: constantly preoccupied with the state of the white walls and struggling to balance that with the other “walls” within everyday life. Language, finance, borders, solitude– bathrooms are also a theme within some of my work. I am convinced time in the bathroom for many folks is the only true place one can be alone. The loop begins with a standing figure that shifts incrementally to the sound of a banging tub. Shower sounds reaffirm the bathroom setting. The banging continues and the imagery strobes through landscapes, close-up images, and abstract spaces all representing the various forms of boundaries. The tone intensifies with a speeding pace and over stimulating sounds. The figure appears throughout the piece and on its final clip is sucked into a textural static composed of wall rubbings. These wall rubbings for me are the true thesis, finding closure, peace, acceptance and appreciation in the blemishes of the gallery walls. Towards the end of my time at the Godine Gallery I found catharsis in making wall rubbings of the space. Some as small as 5”x5”, others as large as 4’x10’. Since making this work I have been able to let go of some of my negative habits around creation and perfectionism.

 
graphite relief of Godine Gallery wall

graphite relief of Godine Family Gallery wall