This year I began to confront the ideas of context and comfort: physically, geographically, culturally. Where do I fit? Where should my work exist? Where is my voice heard so that it doesn’t cover another but adds to the story?
Beginning with the Paper 10 project, a 1-day exercise, I began to tackle these ideas by first considering where it is that I feel comfortable. It also marks the beginning of cultivating and re-nurturing my connection with home, the physical space. This specific conversation is so intertwined with context for me, it’s honestly turned out to be such an exercise of humility.
I’ve always felt a real sensitivity to my feet. This comes from my childhood being completely absorbed by ballet. Saying goodbye to physical spaces, I always get this intense urge to take my shoes off and absorb the textures. It’s a bit like a scent memory only just with the soles of my feet. The textures feel like they’re being tattooed on my bones and in my mind.
2721 . DIRT – Dirt is a funny thing. It's such an accessible texture. It's such a historic texture. It is the genesis; it's central to all. I built this space with a sense of anonymity. The response to the dirt wasn't towards me , it wasn't towards my story but their own story, their own memory, their own moment. Each person to step on to the dirt became the sole owner of that space, for that moment.
whoooooosh!!! x i.f.f.
WHOOOOOSH! is a sensorial, fragrance-led installation. I am to build and create a sensorial, fragrance-led experience to access and harness visceral energy as a method of ground.
My work in general and especially with WHOOOOOSH! is aimed at combating the physical numbness we experience in these synthetic spaces.
I do this through the exploration of overwhelming, stimulating moments.
My aim is to shock the body into serenity.
I build places and carve out spaces for our organic selves to regain consciousness.
My main medium is nature or my simulation of nature. For WHOOOOOSH! I'm exploring wind and its ability to seamless transition from overstimulation to serenity. It's the shift between the gale and the gentle fragrant breeze that can be so healing.
Of course, the leading sensorial element will be the fragrance in the wind. When I think of wind, my first thought is of home and more specifically the garden out back. The closest scent in my personal scent library that has the same atmosphere as wind is that of a tomato stem. Beyond that, exploring further into the garden and the seasonal shifts of the plants, soil, atmosphere, and human interaction is where I draw inspiration for the scent. As one moves through WHOOOOOSH!, the france will shift and morph telling the story of the garden and wind.
Of course, being in nature is more beneficial than experiencing the simulation of it but most don't have access to the resources that are needed to enjoy those spaces. WHOOOOOSH! can act as a middle ground, or as a possible access point for urban dwellers to regain contact with their organic selves.
WHOOOOOSH! is a garden of enormous knitted, wind structures. These structures will be larger than life, creating a shift of perspective to further immerse the viewer into the garden. Participation in the installation is physical and in fact it's encouraged to wrestle with, lay on, and generally bounce in-between the wind structures. This will release different strengths of wind depending on how energetic the physical interaction was. To release a gentle breeze, lean in to the wind. To release a fragrant gale, attack with a hug. To release a squall, jump on to the wind.
carving visceral spaces
Exploring overwhelming moments to shock the mind into a state of serenity
At the time, I misinterpreted why 'Dirt on the 4th' was successful. I thought it was just the fact that I built this organic space and that the space itself was large enough for people to feel easily transported. I spent the subsequent months building different spaces and experiences, this time using the air as my medium and visceral energy to guide my path. This is where my conversation with context and comfort begins to become even more hazy than when I started.
However, there is a vein of truth that runs through this work. When thinking about physical context and physical comfort, my mind immediately runs home to the wind. There is this constant ferocity in the wind back home in Oklahoma.
forrest wRESTling
Moments that harness visceral energy as a method of grounding...
How to combat the numbness we experience in these synthetic spaces...
As I began exploring my comfort and experimenting with discomfort in the wind, an interesting tension began to build inside the work. My mind lost connection with my feet and as my feet lost connection with the dirt. Not really understanding what was causing this chain reaction, and not really knowing what to do to resolve the tension, I just leaned in to it…
GORVY THEATRE WIND
PLAYING WITH CAPTURED WIND - SHARING MY WIND FOR THE FIRST TIME