Into Thin Air
I began to formulate ideas
for “Into Thin Air” after reading an article about a journalist who purportedly
found a yeti footprint in the Himalayas. I started thinking about the myth of
the yeti and the many quests to uncover definitive proof of its existence. From
there I began to string together thoughts about modernism, mythmakers, abstract
expressionism and other ideas about aspirations, creativity and the compulsion
to repeat, quote, and impose order.
As I moved forward with this
project I became interested in utilizing the fortuitous by-products and
leftovers of production. The scraps of foam cut away from one piece became the
patterns for the mirrors in another. The ink stain resulting from the
generation of one piece became a recurring motif that appears elsewhere in
various forms. This freeflowing chain of visual associations resulted in a
network of circular references that visually link the various components of the
installation and that thematically refer to the invention of myth. The use of
ordinary building materials contributes to the thematic construct as well.
I chose the working title
“Into Thin Air” after the book by Jan Krakauer about a catastrophic disaster
during an ascent of Mt. Everest. I was struck by the ephemeral implication in
the title and how it might be related to ideas about substance, investment and the
creative process.
This project reflects a
movement forward in my ongoing investigation which to date has been concerned
primarily with the dissemination of second-hand images through the medium of
drawing. The themes of that work – pictorial fragmentation, random encounters,
thwarted expectations and narrative rupture – are further elaborated by this
foray into assembly and collage.
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Installation
View University
of Arkansas, Little
Rock August
2009 |
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Installation
View University
of Arkansas, Little
Rock August
2009 |
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Installation
View University
of Arkansas, Little
Rock August
2009 |
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Installation
View University
of Arkansas, Little
Rock August
2009 |
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Installation
View University
of Arkansas, Little
Rock August
2009 |
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MYTHLVR graphite/acrylic
medium/paper 38” x 50” 2009 |
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untitled graphite/foamcore 40” x 60” 2009 |
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untitled felt 67”h x
75”w x 2”d 2009 |
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untitled tyvek 33”h x
25.5”w x2”d 2009 |
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untitled gorilla
glue/ polystyrene insulation 48” x 31” 2009 |
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aerial
detail of glue scribble on foam |
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untitled polystyrene
film 55” x
39.5” 2009 |
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untitled 49”h x 20”d
x 24”w shellac/graphite/ foam/gypsum
putty/ stainless steel rod/ mirror/ wood/photocopy transfer 2009 |
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detail of
above |
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detail of
above |
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untitled 50”h x
25”w x 20.5”d mixed
media 2009 |
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detail of
above The
suspended line consists of a wire coated with kneaded eraser. It is attached
to a small motor which causes the line to spin. The magnifying lens captures
the movement of both the rotating line and its reflection in the surrounding
mirrors. |
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back view
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To view
the video click
here. The file is large (80mb) and takes a minute to load with a
broadband connection. If you connect via dial-up it will take longer. |
“Stop
Action Jackson,” a slideshow compilation of still details from various pieces
in the installation play on a small dvd player in the base of the assemblage
above. Interspersed within the slideshow are video clips of the spinning line
that rotates in the upper portion of the sculpture as well as short clips of
footage from “The Thing,” the John Carpenter horror film from 1982. The short
clips lifted from the film depict various moments of dread in which a search
takes place in the snow of Antarctica. |
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untitled mixed
media 60”h x
20” x 24” 2009 |
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detail of
above this
element is 12” tall |
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other
side |
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another
detail this
element is 4.5” h x
6”w x 12”l foam/super
glue/ magnifying
lenses in three of the panels/ embroidery thread |
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another
view of objects the
mirror is 20” x 24” |
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pedestal
panels of above piece two are
48x18, two are 48 x 12 Each
panel has a line running from top to bottom: one is
yellow acrylic, one is graphite, one is graphite powder mixed with acrylic
medium and the other is graphite powder with acrylic medium and white acrylic
paint mixed together. attached
to one panel is an inkjet print . |
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untitled drywall/paint/ink/
graphite/ paper
towel 48” x 14” 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print on canvas 8” x 10” unique 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print on polystyrene insulation 40” x 40” 2009 |
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untitled Xerox
transfers on cardboard boxes each box
is 12” x 12”
x 12” 2009 |
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installation
view |
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untitled 12 tyvek
sheets (each 8x10”) strung on
nylon twine. total
length approx 11’ 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet print
on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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flag
detail inkjet
print on tyvek 8” x 10” 2009 |
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untitled 8” x 6” graphite/paper 2002 |
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untitled 13” x 10” graphite/paper 2002 |
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untitled ink on
inkjet print 11” x
8.5” 2009 |
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untitled marker/paper 11” x
8.5” 2009 |
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untitled 19” x 12” graphite/paper 2009 |
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untitled graphite/marker
on inkjet print 5 5/8” x
4 3/8” 2009 |
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untitled carbon
transfer on inkjet print 8” x 6.5” 2009 |
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untitled 8” x 6.5” graphite/paper 2009 |
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untitled 8.5” x
11.25” ink/glue/Xerox
transfer/paper 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print/paint 10” x 8” 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print/paint 20” x 16” 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print 10” x 10” unique 2009 |
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untitled inkjet
print 10” x 10” unique 2009 |
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This video loop plays in
a secondary room, a meditative space. |
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