Specter

About This Project

Akron Art Museum, Isroff Gallery, August 1, 2015 – January 3, 2016

Our current climate change is the result of accumulation—accumulation of carbon and greenhouse gasses, of actions, of inactions, of passive disregard and concerted neglect. Within the narrative space of the gallery, I invoke notions of repetition, evolution and accumulation to address our cultural penchant for excess, capacity for valuing individual wants over societal needs, and ability to disregard the adverse effects of our actions until faced with the catastrophic. Hand-printed wallpaper, relief, and screen and mono-printed elements and laser-cut components amass, transitioning from pleasurable decoration of surface to aggressive confrontation of personal space. Specter directly addresses global warming and our current, human-impelled climate change while calling more broadly for mindfulness and conscious attention to the social and ecological effects of our individual actions. I speak as an observer of human culture, a witness to a crisis, and an active participant in this problem. I ask what I can do to face this challenge, what individual efforts could effect a collective change, and how we, together, can make a difference.