False Security
Site-specific wall painting at the tbd loft Community Gallery using food and drug products colored with Red Dye 40 as my medium and an existing brick wall with gaps in the mortar and old anchor holes. The month's theme was "Security".
Dimensions: 7 ft X 8 ft (image is a close up of a portion of the wall)
The Rule of Three's
Interactive installation at the tbd loft Community Gallery; contributors were to type three things they could do without. Part of the month's Survival sub-theme for the year-long WE NEED exhibition. The installation included an overhead projector showing an instructional slide on "The Rule of Three's" about basic human needs for wilderness survival.
The Rule of Three's
Wall projection of the list of things people in our community decided they don't need (follow-up to last month's interactive installation).
TIME'S UP!
Artist Statement:
Live every day like it could be your last because you never know when your time will be up!
Live every day like it could be your last because you never know when your time will be up!
This was a site-specific installation at the tbd Loft Community Gallery consisting of an existing glass wall, sandals, glue, wood screws, clay powder and hair spray.
IS YOUR BRAIN ON TRASH?
Artist Statement:
How did we get here, to this exact place at this exact moment? A question we don’t often ask ourselves, but a critical one for many of us to ponder. Was it by living consciously and making decisions based on who we truly are?
How did we get here, to this exact place at this exact moment? A question we don’t often ask ourselves, but a critical one for many of us to ponder. Was it by living consciously and making decisions based on who we truly are?
Garbage in…garbage out!
Daily we are presented with countless decisions, many of which include options that are motivated purely by ‘the cover’, the advertising, the social pressures and are not at all true to who we are or what we truly believe, feel, want, or need; instead they are based on pressures we create for ourselves as a result of how we want to be perceived by others and which are fueled by the mass-media. In the end though, who do we often admire, the one who is a clone of everyone else, or the one who stands out?
The way we live each day is of course the way we live our lives.
(adapted from Annie Dillard)
(adapted from Annie Dillard)
The installation was part of the Community Portrait Project's "Where Did We Come From?" segment and consisted of: LCD projector and laptop computer, text written by the artist, trash bags, recycled newsprint, re-used styrofoam, biodegradable packing peanuts, recycled packing pillows, balloons,magazine adds, various pieces of garbage (e.g. McDonalds wrappers), clear packing tape, fishing line, plastic and bamboo garden stakes; installed July 2010 in the TBD Loft Library, Bend, OR. Dimensions of "The Brain": 6 ft high, 7.5 ft wide and 9.5 ft long.
Quotes from the curator prior to installation as we worked through details on the project:
“I am in love with your concept. It's brilliant! It's surprising and provocative. And, is so incredibly relevant.”
“I love the concept of the brain and how it represents the meaningless clutter that collects in our
psyche.”
And after the opening:
“I hope you're still basking in the exhilarating feeling of accomplishment in the success of your first art installation! I'm thrilled to have it a part of the Community Portrait project. Primarily because it's SO provocative. And, so quick to relate to. It has sparked a tremendous amount of conversation, and as a result, mounds of self-awareness. THANK YOU.”
-Paul Evers, Director,TBD Loft
"We'll be sad to see it go: it has sparked A LOT of provocative discussions. Thank you for the gift of your vision!"
-Paul Evers, Director,TBD Loft
Clear out the clutter in your brain!!
In dismantling the installation all of the newsprint (which was used for most of the fill-material in the trash bags) was flattened, folded and put into a cardboard box (a meditative experience in itself lasting half a day!). In "The Brain" the newsprint filled fourteen 50 gallon trash bags and six 40 gallon bags, or approximately 940 dry U.S. gallons, or roughly 147 cubic feet. All of this paper now fits into two cardboard boxes and takes up approximately 7.5 cubic feet or about 1/5th the original volume. And only about 0.5 cubic feet of actual refuse was produced! "The Brain" was full of a whole lot of nothing!! Does this represent what takes up most of the space in YOUR brain??
Full text of the projected material (which was done in short segments):
Garbage in…garbage out!
Daily we are presented with countless decisions, many of which include options that are motivated purely by ‘the cover’, the advertising, the social pressures and are not at all true to who we are or what we truly believe, feel, want, or need; instead they are based on pressures we create for ourselves as a result of how we want to be perceived by others and which are fueled by the mass-media. In the end though, who do we often admire, the one who is a clone of everyone else, or the one who stands out?
The dissonant mental state created by conflicting messages to your conscious brain (e.g. what society says is right vs. what you know is best for you) may cause you to cave and take the easy way out, the one you are expected to take, the option that fits within the social norms of the consumer-driven over-capitalist culture (read ‘trash producing’) in which we find ourselves. Such decisions often leave one feeling empty, unsatisfied and wanting more (which may just lead to another binge of shopping, eating, drinking, or…basically producing more trash).
The other option is to slow down, think about who you really are, what you really need, and live life consciously. Make decisions that are true to who you are, decisions that at times may go against societal norms but meet your true needs. In meeting one’s true needs we not only find ourselves experiencing much greater satisfaction in the solution chosen, but a much greater sense of self- worth as we realize that we are strong, we are individual, and that we can think for ourselves. And we can be proud of this!
Again, how did we get to this point in our lives?
We can go even further with this questioning when we realize that our American culture has created a sense of ‘what is right’ that is right for the family or the community rather than for one’s self (that would be selfish!). But what is flawed in this way of thinking is that without a strong self we cannot have a strong community. You may try to take a middle path, the one that makes everyone happy, but does it really? How often does this actually mean that you are giving in? How often does this lead you to feeling unfulfilled and that life is out of your control. In a relationship one must take care of self first, because if you are not happy you cannot give to your partner or your community.
Take control of your life, make the tough choices, live consciously, and bask in the sense of power you discover when you take back control and begin making decisions based on who YOU are, not who you think you should be based on societal expectations. Stop producing more garbage (literally and figuratively) and instead create harmony within yourself. Slow down, allow all of your senses to work for you, breathe deeply, smell the sweetness, answer to the inner self – yes, that is living consciously!
