I was attempting to explain to a friend the other day my ideas for the thesis exhibition I’m supposed to be planning. I say “attempting” because I did a piss-poor job of it. I figure this is a good a reason as any to write this post as I had been planning on it anyways.

But I have more than just ideas—I have a series of miniature models that I made to help me visualize possible installations for the final show.

These models should also show that I don’t have a half-assed bone in my body… which isn’t nearly as fun as it sounds.

My thesis essentially has two parts—two themes almost. The first part, found in the artworks themselves, is the representation of feelings of exposure, vulnerability, and judgement—feelings of isolation and being out of place in a social setting. Part two is, in essence, the exhibition itself—a literal enactment of part one, the subject of the works, except with the major difference that I will be soliciting feedback from the audience—feedback that I might otherwise never hear or see.

The works themselves, the collages, I’ll talk about in a future post. Today it’s about the display. (Hey, I’m a poet and I didn’t realize it until just now.)

01-hole ## There’s a Hole in the Wall, Dear Liza
02-window ## Window and Ruined Blinds
03-calendars ## Calendars and Shelf
04-frame ## Behind the Picture Frame
05-polaroids ## A Collection of Polaroids

The basics: two of the models (the hole in the wall and the window) measure approximately 5″ by 9.5″ and the other three are 5″ by 8.75″. But if I ever make them full size and install them in a gallery space, they’ll be nearly as big as the entire wall. (The exact dimensions will depend on the space I have to work with.)

Also, please note that the objects—the picture frame, the window, et al—are not proportional to the walls they’re on. The walls were made first and to make anything smaller than what I’ve already done is an entirely new plane of insanity I’m not ready to breach yet.

Now a closer look at the models:

The works in this model are installed inside a lath and plaster wall (drywall is boring) but have been exposed through the hole that has rather violently been bashed in.
I may not be insane enough to make everything to scale, but apparently I am insane enough to make teeny tiny little collages to act as placeholders for the real ones. For scale reference, the “lips” collage on the top left is approximately 3/8s of an inch square.

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? That maybe there’s someone peeping in through the windows? Of course this isn’t a problem if you have blinds or curtains you can close, but that’s not the case here—these blinds are so tattered they should just outright be replaced. They’re not keeping anything out.
The blinds are just short, thin strips of paper that were then stacked together, pierced with a needle, and then threaded together. The background is a small rectangle of frosted vellum backed with an image clipped from a magazine. It’s a picture of a crowd, if I remember correctly.

We all have to stay on schedule, even paranoiacs. It’s more than a full time job—worry and fear are a 24-7 deal, a fact evidenced by the calendars that are almost completely X’ed out.
I don’t intend for the shelf to be empty when installed for real—I just couldn’t manage to make anything small enough to physically fit on the shelf. My current plan is to have a telephone, a mug (full of pens and such), and maybe a small vase (with flowers? I don’t know) sitting there.
The grid on the calendars were made on the computer and printed out. I couldn’t draw them cleanly enough by hand and, believe me, I tried. The pages of the calendars are small rectangles of paper folded in half. And, yes, they actually are bound together with thread.

The irony here is that where the canvas of a painting, a work of art, has been torn out is yet more art. The real thing will likely have torn remains of the painting around the inside edges of the frame. Maybe the painting will still be attached, hanging from the bottom like a flap. Who’ll dare me to use a velvet Elvis painting here?
I admit I had fun assembling all these little collages. But what’s really sad is that I eventually started taking them seriously, which made them increasingly difficult as I felt compelled to make good miniature collages.

This one I’m not so sure about. The idea is to make polaroids—real polaroids, not collages—of my works, perhaps of works that not included in the show. These would be zoomed in/macro shots, so they’d only show sections of a collage and not the entire thing.

So, for such small models, why do I have all the empty white space?

The white walls are a crucial ingredient for part 2 of my thesis—getting feedback. In a similar manner as my never-completed-postcard-project, the empty spaces will be there for people to write on, for their reactions and interpretations. I’d leave out tons of writing implements—crayons, markers, pens, pencils, chalk, etc.—for people to use and either I’d leave out signs asking people to write on the walls or maybe I’d even write the invitations out on the walls themselves.

This was my original concept. But after all this time to think on it I am having doubts. What if no one writes anything at all? What if my works get defaced? (I’m not sure I want to have the works enclosed in plexiglass or anything.) What if people just write whatever like it’s some kind of bathroom stall?

And I’m also questioning whether or not this is a good idea to begin with. Is it even feasible for me to make such large installations? Would a gallery allow writing on the walls or would I have to create new walls in front of the existing ones? (I’m already assuming I’d have to create a faux lath and plaster wall for the specific purpose of putting a giant hole in it.)

All that said, I’d appreciate any feedback anyone has on this. (Assuming you bothered to read this far.)

Filed under: Thesis Adventures

Discussion: 2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Thesis Installation Models”

1. nicola:
   August 21st, 2007 at 6:03 pm

   Better late than never, huh?or is it ever…better late than ever?anyway…Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you on this.everything is taking me too long to get to lately, and this is not good for someone who is on the thesis show soon plan.o.k.  so basically the work is beautiful.  my favorite is the plaster wall hole.  then the blinds. then the polaroids.  
   Maybe because I was paying attention to the work, or not enough attention to what you were writing, but, how does the display and the process interact?
   What is the thesis about?  is it a culmination or an investigation?  is it an artist's response to certain things in this world?  if so, what?  not that you have to answer to any of these things, but because it's stirring, it'd be nice to have a little more clues to help solve what ultimately not be solveable.  Mabye simply what main ideas are you concerned with and how do they enter the idea of house/architecture/room/prison/crime/art
   Is there a connection between the building up and tearing down (of walls, windows, the idea of collage itself), and the coming upon a secret or a threatening ransom note that is a clue and an answer?  the clue answer thing is what Diane Arbus called photography.  pretty cool.  your work reminds me of this idea.  both the clue and the answer.  still mysterious and open-ended, with no satisfaction, ultimately.  I'd like to hear about what you are exploring (what themes and through what visual metaphors or visual tricks)thanks so much for coming to my show in August!the big playpen, as it were.Nicola

2. jschnapp:
   September 1st, 2007 at 8:35 pm

   My reply for this needed a post of its own. You can find it here.