'The Fruit Stare' 2011 Site Specific Installation, Fort Lewis College Art Gallery

This term describes the process by which the Orangutan locates a food source, using the least amount of physical energy possible. They sit in tree canopies for hours, then suddenly go to a batch of fruit that it discovered simply by sitting still. This conserves energy and allows them to last for long periods without eating if necessary.

Similarly, my process of art-making involves a slow gaze into the ordinary surroundings of my daily life. Isolated details from our everyday world pop into my awareness as if they had some kind of message. Sometimes the beauty of the scene makes me feel as if it was mine alone, without other witnesses. Common fragments of the external world are relocated into my work through a process of observation that feels oddly close to the same technique used by the Orangutans to find food. While I'm not comparing my process to the critical need for the Orangutan to survive, perhaps our personal quality of life depends on how and what we pay attention to.

 

This exhibition unites a range of subjects by this process of observation.

 

THE BURDEN OF CARRYING MYSELF AROUND

 

Using flimsy construction and disposable materials, this installation demonstrates the temporary nature of existence. We all seek comfort in things that support the 'precious' body and its endless needs. "The Burden of Carrying Myself Around" speaks to the constant need for comfort.

 

The skin-like walls are made of gold painted mylar, referencing fragility. They gently move with the air flow in the gallery, as if breathing. Loosely structured, the simple sculpture is made of bed pillows, emblematic of comfort. Hovering from above, two transparent 'quilt' components sparkle like jewels. They give visual presence to the forces that activate our human experience, the nameless spark that is felt but hard to define. The theatricality of the arrangement and its false preciousness are presented as metaphor.

 

INSTALLATION DETAILS

 

The Burden of Carrying Myself Around, a site-specific installation

8.5 Ft. H x 20 Ft. L x 8 Ft. W

Spray Painted Duralar, Industrial Film, Resin, Bed Pillows

 

Thoughts, a collaborative graffiti-based and Mixed Media wall mural.

Graffiti Text credit: Yann Christevans

9 Ft. H x 12 Ft. W Photo Mural and Spray Paint

 

Resin Panels, various pieces 2010

25 H x 37.5 Inches L Each

Resin, Film, Mixed Media on Plexiglas