Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Installation: A Second Physical Life for Ponder

"Ponder" will be reassembled in Evanston Art Center's exhibition, "Sheets, Planes & Pulp: Works on (and of) Paper" this month. This opportunity to begin the dialogue from installation to documentation to reinstallation necessitated two additional pieces of documentation -- a sheet of instructions for installation and developing a path diagram.

Writing the instructions and drawing the after the fact path diagram were at best translations of the work because the piece was originally developed loosely through in the moment interaction with the pieces, my scissors, my senses and thoughts, and the space, rather than constructed according to a series of rules. As it turns out, the instructions and diagram won't be needed: I'll have the opportunity to do the installation at the Art Center.

Question of retention, augmentation, and accepting that the piece will differ no matter what? When I went back to collate the elements of the piece, I was reminded of the damage that some of the fragile newspaper winged elements and one book page horse element suffered while removing the original piece during deinstallation. I produced additional versions of the winged elements, though these probably won't be needed this time around, and will include the damaged pieces among the floor pile to retain a place for them in the piece. I repaired the damaged horse element.

The piece also may do without the colored lights in this reassembly unless on very short notice, I can find bulbs or filters compatible with the Art Center's lighting system.

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