Pockets, 2020

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Installation, Sculpture, Performance, Film 

Materials: gauze, rain water, dirt, ceramic vessels, cast plastic, collected objects, two filmed projections.

 

Collected objects: wheelbarrow tire, watch, hanker-chief, wooden spoon, rock, wood knot, button drawer, gloves, oven vent

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For Pockets, sewn strips of gauze float in space to form a semi-transparent plane with casts of my hands anchoring this to the walls. Within the plane, there are individually created pockets for a series of personal objects, that each relate to familial memories. The heavier objects stretch the gauze and separate the weave pulling the plane down towards the ground, whereas the lighter objects hang delicately in their pockets just below the plane. Gauze is a finely textured material that historically wraps, protects, and heals. I wanted to embody this idea of protection by creating unique homes to house these objects, places where they can safely exist. This sculpture acts as my personal keepsake-box of sorts, suspended in space by individual casts of my hands, desperately holding on to these memories.

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Two films playing simultaneously side by side accompany this piece. In one, I have installed the sculpture outside and allowed the weather to permeate the pockets. As the rain gets heavier, the pockets hang closer to the ground, pushed by the weight of the water. The rain falls through the pockets, passes by the objects and collects into five vessels below representing the five members of my family. The rain metaphorically demonstrates the passage of time, memory, and life. In the second film, a black silhouette of a female body, distinctive because of the waist and hips, is shown. In this performance, I am caressing each object, spending time with each, and allowing myself to relive the specific memory that object triggers. In these films I wanted to find a subtle way of bringing in ideas of domesticity and caregiving, while also representing the organic nature of giving life and love to something. This process of sewing custom pockets for each item, and then placing them within the pockets, served as a way to allow me to remember and reflect on the memories and relationships associated with each item.