Overview

This is an overview of my installation for the show. I took this opportunity to investigate the staging of my MFA work, or "Clay Decay" in a traditional gallery situation. I made some compromises, but was able to deal positively with them.

Single Unit

This image captures a complete unit of the whole. A clay cone suspended at chest level. Below is an eroded clay vessel. The cone is flanked by images of the eroded vessel.

Vessel Day One

Below each cone, a clay vessel was placed. The impression I was attempting to pass onto the viewer was a passing of time as the vessel became increasingly eroded.

Vessel Drawing Day One

Each eroded vessel had a corresponding drawing. The drawings are charcoal on ceramic tile.

Underview

Three cones suspended above 3 vessels. I sealed the interiors of the cones and filled them with water. Each cone contained a corresponding amount of water to the degree that the vessel below it was eroded.

Vessel Day Two.

Vessel Drawing Day Two.

Detail

The problem with displaying at the Tsao was the traffic. The Davis Art Center is a place for children. In "Sense Perception" I was able to drip water down monofilament and onto the floor. That was not going to fly for liability reasons at the DAC, so my challenge was to stage a passage of time.

Vessel Day Two and Vessel Day Three

Again, this impression of time is totally fabricated. I set these vessels up in my studio on ceramic tiles (the same ones I used for the drawings) and dripped water upon them over various amounts of time. The titles are just that, they actually have no bearing on the time that each vessel was exposed to an erosive agent.

Detail

The tiles were placed upon mounds of powdered clay then water was sprayed and poured upon those mounds to establish the runoff. Again, all carefully planned to give the impression that the erosion occurred within the gallery.

Vessel Drawing Day Three

I thought that by executing drawings of the clay the viewer would have to re-evaluate the time frame.

Cone Detail

Overall I was very pleased with the feedback from this show. Lots of viewers "got it." Interestingly, not many people questioned the whole of the installation being "staged" which is to say that everybody thought the erosive process actually occurred on site. I took this as a great compliment.