I woke up the morning after the installation of Emergence (read more here), already brimming with ideas. It was incredibly satisfying to see the piece come to fruition in a space. It also immediately presented alternative iterations and created questions for me. I see this piece taking over and invading a space: crawling across a wall, creeping around a corner, seeping up onto the ceiling, and spilling onto the floor. I want to think about the negative space more than I did this time around. Think about how different installations can evoke different interpretations.
Through lockdown, pandemic restrictions and fears, political unrest, economic hardship and civil unrest; through a fraught administration change, a growing hope for a return to kindness, and the possibility of effective vaccines… Emergence grew and morphed similarly to the atmosphere I was steeped in did.
I have an art materials obsession. By art materials I mean anything and everything I think will help me physically manifest my ideas. The temptation to seek out new materials and tools pops up throughout the year but is particularly acute in the fall when the allure of new materials becomes a clarion call. For me September still marks the “new year,” perhaps from the years of association first with my and then my children’s academic calendar. Fall also happens to be my favorite season. I revel in the sharp air, the achingly blue skies, the crackle and crunch of dried pods and leaves beneath my feet. There is nothing like being beneath a swirl of bright yellow maple or birch leaves as they swirl and dance around me.
