Night
2014
mineral oil on monofilament, water pump, igloo coolers, resin on various fabrics, plaster cast of a fist wearing a leather half glove, burnt wood, BMW headlights embedded in wall, plaster casts of “survivor tree” souvenir key chain leaves from the 911 memorial museum.
152.4 cm x 152.4 cm x 213.36 cm
Thinking about speed and the way we perceive visual information today, a familiar rain scene from action movies is recreated as kinetic sculpture by repurposing the “rain lamp” from the 1970s. The ghostly sculpture of a hand wearing a half-glove under the car headlights alludes to a constant readiness for transgression. Confronted by the total aestheticization of violence in the world we live in, even the senses of peril and aggression have been reduced to two-dimensional images, perpetuating through popular culture, fashion accessories, and other everyday commodities. Using a combination of monofilaments, mineral oil, along with other sculptures all backlit by BMW headlights, Night is a kinetic and dioramic sculpture that portrays a raining night in slow motion. In this work, I wanted to capture the suspense and unease of the post-9/11 world through an imaginary landscape at night. In the creation of this work, I thought about theater plays and display cases, and how I can cast a different light on everyday objects to render them unfamiliar and mysterious, while creating a cohesive narrative throughout the work. Mineral oil, on the other hand, a colorless, odorless distillate of petroleum, gives the whole installation a ubiquitous, suffocating feel.
