Structures and Being Structured
Structures and Being Structured: A Thesis Show
Entering the space, three framed 10’x10’x8’ structures are equally distributed within the approximate 900sq gallery. The interiors of the structures are lit from above with the gallery’s track lighting. The walls are built from five 2”x4”x8’ standing vertically between two 2”x4”x10’. The studs are placed at 24” on-centre. Two pieces of 4’x10’ drywall are mounted horizontally above one another and left open on the other side. Two wall sections are then stood up, fitted and held together by three-stud corners. These steps are repeated until the three enclosures are complete. The framing, along with the structures, were built in situ.
Site specificity brings context to the work vis-à-vis its institutional critique, but also in its form. The three structures were constructed to fit the space with the intent of creating corridors, transitional spaces. Structures and Being Structured uses the language of construction and architecture to depict “a kind of complexity which comes from taking an otherwise completely normal, conventional albeit anonymous situation and redefining it, retranslating into overlapping and multiple readings of contributions, past and present” (Weible 48). In this, the three structures bring forth past and current experiences, challenges and bureaucratic navigation.
The structures are characterized by their raw construction materials and appear to the viewer as wall framing. […] The space creates limitations not only in a sociopolitical and economical context, but also limits the senses: the view is obstructed, sounds are muffled or bounce off of numerous walls, and moving within the space is uncomfortable and somewhat disorienting. […] Structures and Being Structured intentionally impedes movement and free navigation through space. The title refers to the institutional challenges I grapple within my art practice, but more specifically, the obstacles I’ve encountered over the past twenty-four months.