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The Garden of the Void

The void; the place from which all things come and to which they return. Matte-black cardboard with Christmas lights over wood framing makes itself evident as a makeshift universe. The architecture of the space mimics the arch and dome forms found in sacred spaces such as churches and other religious structures. The use of cardboard acts as a connecting point between package handlers and factory workers around the world. The meaning of this is both universal and personal as it is also meant to honor the artist's parents who met in the warehouse in which they both worked.

At the entrance to the universe there are two empty vessels. Both of which are mass-produced objects recreated with accentuated signs of the maker; fingerprints and tool marks. Registration lines from the mold become amplified and jut out of the sides. Each with a body part attached to it, to further give a face to their unknown authors. Disintegrating in place, like the body through labor over time. Each vessel holds seeds, possibilities, waiting to be germinated.

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      The Will-o'-the-Wisp acts as a monument to life's potential, held in stasis between forming and unforming. A reference to Van Gogh and Millet’s sower paintings, the figure represents a field laborer holding a basket of dried thistles, spreading their seeds across the installation space. Simultaneously, the sculpture is a reference to the Death Tarot card from the Tarot of Marseilles, which represents "the card with no name", often otherwise referred to as Death or Rebirth. The interpretation of which is less about physical death and more about various types of endings and new beginnings. In this case, rather than being a grim reaper, the figure is planting seeds. The seeds float throughout the universe, like dandelion wishes waiting to be fulfilled. This piece serves as the centerpiece of this installation. 

Photos by Claire Krienitz

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