Pretty Good Shape

March 8-21, 2013
threewalls 119 N. Peoria #2c Chicago, IL

Pretty Good Shape materialized from the musings and survival of an artist in residence. While making on top of life, daily sustenance blends into material and back out again, agitation swarms and looms and humor emerges from a hole in the wall; regardless it all continues on. The act of supporting creativity without overindulging and spoiling it is precarious and never the same. Marks in space act as cairns; a way to push forward and find the next thing while leaving a path to backtrack, keep record and maybe begin to understand the present moment.

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Maybe it’s supposed to
hole in the wall, soap, water, container, tubing, motor

I feel so sorry for you in those hot pants II
table base, motor, white table cloth

Still Life in Balance
hot cocoa powder, paper scrap, cough drop, tape, pink packing peanut, twist tie, bagel on napkin, paper towel piece, orange rind, onion skin, honey, sugar cube, eyelash, oatmeal, rock salt, pepper, sugar cube, staple, toothpaste, two rubber bands, painted cardboard piece, wrapper, contact lens, cinnamon, penny, wrapper corner, plastic protector, match, avocado skin, pin, sawdust, napkin bit, bread crumb, used birthday candle, eye lash, thread, mini marshmallow, red wine stain, two popcorn kernels, ribbon, gorilla glue, drywall, box fan foot, avocado skin, salt, tag piece, thread, rice, cup, ketchup packet

Nonetheless
wax, sinkers, thread, wire, motor, wood

Untitled (from the Kitchen Table Series–2 drawings)
ink, graphite and acrylic on paper

Receiver Fest


I installed a piece in Charleston, SC for Receiver Fest-a time based media festival. More to come, but for now, here are some highlights.

A detail of my installation “From Whence They Came”.
18×8 feet
wood, water, soap, air, motors

And the rest of the trip:

Performance

I did a performance piece yesterday for a crit. The props/sculptures were originally created for a video (which I still plan to make), but a critique space opened up and I really wanted to get some of these things worked out.

I ended up desaturating my entire studio in order to create a sort of sepia tone. In the back of my mind I have been really wanting to create a space from the photographs I was taking last year with the light behind the magazine page.

chanel photo

desaturated studio

The themes I was cycling around are cleansing, absence, surrealism and wonder. The lack of color and branding…etc in the studio pushed the nostalgic mood and the idea of absence. There were loose symbols floating around the studio. A rope extending to the ceiling. Screws and holes in the walls where things had been. The floor was even textured by hand as was the chalkboard and some of the windows.

smear

I’m interested in the way the suds come from a dark space beneath the floor. There was actually quite a bit of labor involved in getting them to come through. Once they are through the grow vertically and touch my face. According to Roland Barthes “Mythologies” (in the book refer to p. 36, in the pdf it’s p. 19) suds are luxurious and can be a sign of spirituality as the spirit has the “reputation for being able to make something out of nothing.” Something clicked for me when I realized my drawings were about systems and cycles. Things go in and things come out. Things pile up and get put away. It is exactly what has been ingrained in me from church my entire life. Sin and forgiveness–the ongoing cycle. In some ways it seems like that is what life is about!

kitchen table drawing

It’s not evident in the photo’s or the video, but I entered and exited for the performance in a way that sort of formed a loop (in one side and out the other). It was the most criticized part of the performance. It seemed sort of “default” I guess. There is still room to explore these methods–and luckily doing a video allows me to edit this part out completely!

blowing bubbles

blowing bubbles

blowing bubbles

bubbles

straw knot

Documentation during the live performance (not the video piece):

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