There is something fascinating about investigating abandoned buildings. I use what was left behind: old papers, broken objects, and discarded furniture to imagine what once existed. I create narratives for the different types of people that would inhabit these spaces and collect their objects to recreate environments filled with their stories. Some objects are my own personal story while others are those of a stranger. Everything I have collected is found in Charlotte, North Carolina, the only home I’ve ever known. It is a place that never holds on to anything. There is more concern for creating anew than renovating the old. To me there is something tragic about old buildings being demolished and places fading into mere memories. My work is a reflection on the inevitability of loss and time. House of Collections is still on view in the lobby of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Center City Building.
Yours truly sitting in House of Collections, site specific mixed media installation, 2012, dimensions variable. Photography by Adam Anderson
This saturday, February 11th is the opening reception for the show entitled, 1A.M. 1st Artistic Movement at Boyd Afficher Gallery in downtown Concord, NC. This show consists of work by yours truly as well as several other very talented artists and friends including (but not limited to) works by Nathalia Garcia-Rios, Carmen Neely, Lydia Goldbeck, Felicia Julian, Jessica Alford, Bradley Tucker, Suje Garcia, Nick Garris and Ben Verner. Ben will also be performing with his band, The Wormholes. Come out for free art viewing and good tunes!
Today people around the world (including myself) are stamping their envelopes and sending off their moleskins. Every year the Arthouse Co-op launches a worldwide sketchbook project. It allows anyone at any age to purchase a sketchbook and theme. This year my theme is “Fill me with stories.”
