2014, Natural and Synthetic Fiber, Vinyl Tiles, Store Sign Stands, Paper, Paint, Security Cameras.
As our world moves towards the illusory, what becomes of our sense of space irl? Materials, textiles, images/video are still a part of our surface-society; they allow us to interact within a social reality; a reality that is not inclusive, but maybe not totally aware of its physical surroundings anymore.
With ThinThread I’m interested in examining this awareness (or lack-there-of) in a push for a connection between the material, the social, and the real. I am installing an extra-lush, sensuously-enhanced environment to film the interactions of visitors. My studio will be transformed into a tactile scene where participants are asked to explore, feel, and play however they so choose. Covering about 100 sq ft, a sprawling shag rug with paper rock sculptures house 4 security cameras. The luscious shag rug and rocks are made in homage to Franz West, using colors and shapes from his series of Passstucke, objects with the sole intention of provoking physical response.
Participants enter the space but must remove shoes and socks to participate, perhaps leaving some individuals uncomfortable, some turned on, or some unfazed by the nakedness of one’s feet. The actions of the participants will be captured via their feet, through the cameras pointed at downwards angles.
In the post 9/11 era, we live within an age of uninhibited and overt surveillance; footage is compiled as meta-data, kept for 5 years at minimum, and by and large, individuals are not able to access their own information. As Rachel Levinson-Waldman examines in What The Government Does With Americans’ Data, government agencies collect information about Americans who are not suspected of any crime, keep it for an extended time and share it widely with foreign governments, private entities, and other agencies. As more data is collected, the portrait of an individual becomes more clear than an image or video captured. Who has access to this information? What is being done with this data? While the privacy of the visitors will remain protected, they will have no control over what is done with the footage.