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May 27, 2011

Installations: Audience interaction

I've had many requests to show more of my work on this blog, so here is my latest experiences with my art installations.  I am fairly new to developing installation art (art that interacts with architecture of the space) so audience responses to the piece are really important to fine tuning it to completion.  It also may take awhile to find the right venue for this interaction to happen.  When the art work is still in my studio, it has yet to be complete until entering the right space with an audience. 

As part of my school's "Integration" event in April, I had the chance to fully display my piece "I'm Knitting Green".  This work came as a gift from a friend who's mother, Mercy, has Alzhiemer's and knits scarves continuously.  The knitting has become her daily 'work' and maybe consolation. I know I was comforted as the scarves draped over my lap as I worked on them.  The floor of the Academy dance studio was perfect for the chalk writing of a poem (also gifted to me) by Pamela Nomura.  Pam had written a poem about Mercy, without knowing I had been working on a visual piece with her knitting.  She graciously allowed me to use it as part of my piece. 



             
It took over an hour to transpose the complete
 "Unraveling" poem by Pam!

As people entered the gallery they tried to walk around the piece. Eventually the gallery was too crowded and folks couldn't avoid stepping on the writing or through the scarves.

 


Raphael guides Mercy across "I'm Knitting Green".

A piece seen to completion.
More installation interaction to come.