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| Affective Aspects of Consciousness __ 2000 Glass, aluminum, four books, earth and time. 1 x 30 x 30 feet |
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This site specific installation is composed of four glass cases placed on the ground and delineated by a thirty foot square of undisturbed grass. Each case has five sides with the underside open, measuring 17 by 33 by 24 inches with an aluminum framework. On the top side of each case etched in the glass is a single word, (SYMPATHY, APATHY, CONSCIENCE and COMPROMISE). Contained under each case, a unique book is placed on the exposed soil below. During the entire exhibition the natural elements within the thirty-foot square were allowed to follow their natural course. By the end of the exhibition the formerly well maintained area was completely overtaken by nature, revealing an edge of vulnerability.
"Affective Aspects of Consciousness" is based on a precisely constructed glass display case that is designed to evoke a feeling of permanence and order. For myself, I can think of no other object greater than a book to fully express what it means to be human. They are records of everything we know and can imagine. The displacement of this object in an environment that on one hand draws attention to it as an object of importance and on the other hand puts it at a risk of annihilation exemplifies the fragility of our memory, knowledge and existence. Everything we attribute and define as unique to being human is vulnerable to the duration of its importance.
"Affective Aspects of Consciousness" is based on a precisely constructed glass display case that is designed to evoke a feeling of permanence and order. For myself, I can think of no other object greater than a book to fully express what it means to be human. They are records of everything we know and can imagine. The displacement of this object in an environment that on one hand draws attention to it as an object of importance and on the other hand puts it at a risk of annihilation exemplifies the fragility of our memory, knowledge and existence. Everything we attribute and define as unique to being human is vulnerable to the duration of its importance.
Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, Delaware