Installation Statement
Televisions, Antennae, rocks, moss, ferns, dirt, branches, and cardboard.
96” L x 78” W x 84” H
2019
Transfix
Our sculpture embodies a relationship between nature and technology in a post-apocalyptic sense. This is a piece that incorporates multi-generational televisions and old growth plants right from our Pacific Northwest backyard. The tactile plant matter and auditory element of static emitting from the televisions help to convey the sense of ruin and isolation. Through this piece we set out to capture an eerie essence of fragmented nostalgia that does not quite sit well with the viewer. The combinations of screens and plant matter only transfix the viewer further so that as they gaze upon the ten different screens, they become a part of the piece as well. The obsessive human fixation with screens is part of the reason we chose to work with televisions in the first place. We purposefully chose the focal point of the sculpture to be a television that acts more as a mirror rather than a screen to ask the question: what are we looking for?
Upon introduction to this project and after some initial sketching, our team found that the commonalities among our ideas revolved around nature versus technology. We began our first design as a multi-sensory room for people to enter and experience as if they were outside. We wanted it to be a space where people could be instantaneously transported to another world upon entering. However, upon further investigation we realized there were many safety factors in creating an enclosed space to be inhabited by viewers and that there were too many elements at play.
Once we made this realization, we moved onto our next design, which was much more refined. Our second design included the use of televisions as our technology element. We wanted to create a tower of televisions in a disarrayed sort of manner, as well as having some hanging from the ceiling to give a gravity-defying feel. This design also included the nature element from the first design by having ferns and other plants cascading down from the top. From this concept we ran into problems with how we were going to make the televisions arranged in a gravity defying way without taking away from the sculpture itself. Our concept also included hollowed-out televisions that had plant matter inside of them. Unfortunately, due to safety concerns we were unable to hollow-out the televisions. This was when we really refined our piece to its essence.
For our final design we decided to stack the ten televisions we had collected in the way they could naturally balance on each other from the floor up. We utilized the right corner of the gallery and arranged them in from one wall to the other in a convex, rounded shape. And from there we continued to play around with our gathered materials (rocks, ferns, moss, branches, and dirt) until we were happy with the overall composition.
We hope that the audience will view this piece and get the sense that we are currently a part of this battle between nature and technology. Humanity is constantly growing more and more each day and taking over more of the natural world. When will it be natures time to take back what we have claimed?