This standard, personal documents and archive box purchased at Ikea is the base structure for what will become the piece Just Between Me and You. The lid is removable. The exterior and interior of the box and lid will be covered in the black fabrics used in the installation Wanderland. The box is cardboard held together with metal fasteners and measures approximately 12 1/4 inches wide x 11 3/4 inches high x 14 3/3 inches long [31 cm x 30 cm x 38 cm].
A view of pages inside the box. The interior of the box will be covered in a black felt. The pages will be wrapped together in a single package of black tulle and tied with a red string. The box will also contain notes with instructions to the viewer on what to do at certain points. The notes will be written in a direct manner, similar to the language used in the notes instructing Alice on her journey through the rabbit hole.
After completing the Wanderland event I was able to assemble the Just Between Me and You box in its final form. The first step was to cover the interior surfaces of the document box with the black, sparkly vinyl cloth used on the floor of the Wanderland passageway.
Between conceiving the piece Just Between Me and You and its final construction I was able to give a lot of thought to the details of the piece and its experience by the viewer. The document box was deeper than I really wanted it to be so I had been considering building a 'false bottom' in order to raise the package of papers closer to the top of the box. I also began thinking of ways in which I could incorporate the mirror element into the box without making it a dominant material, like in the Look In Glass. I had considered covering the interior with mirrors, but that seemed too dominant, and I rather work with the empty, infinite space feeling produced by the fabric instead of the full, infinite space the mirrors would create. So instead I just added a 12 inch x 12 inch [30 cm x 30 cm] mirror floating about 2 inches [5 cm] above the bottom of the box. On two sides space remains between the edge of the mirror and the box creating a drop down feeling into the empty, infinite space. On the other two sides the mirror fits tightly against the sides of the box, creating a squeezed in feeling.
The exterior of the box with label. When the box is empty and one looks through the handle hole the black, sparkly vinyl is visible on the other side. I chose the label "ME" to signify the contents as a personal documentation of myself. The label is archival ink stamped on Bristol board.
Ready to begin wrapping up the journal pages into a package I first needed to disassemble or 'erase' the drawing with red crochet thread which was the structure from which the pages were hung in Wanderland.
Drawing materials.
After ordering the journal pages as I intend them to start their journey out of the studio, I placed a note to the viewer in an envelope at the bottom of the stack, then wrapped the black tulle around the pile. I tied the package at the top center with red crochet thread, leaving a significant amount of fabric to fill the top of the box. I clipped another envelope with a note to the viewer to the top using a silver binder clip.
A view of one of the notes to the viewer, stamped on a white, scalloped edge note card in black archival ink. The note card is placed in a brown craft paper envelope stamped "You" and binder clipped to the box. This is the first note to the viewer.
Final note to viewer.
Second of four notes to viewer.
The interior of the box lid was covered on the large surface by a piece of the black, sparkly vinyl. The edges were painted with black Sumi ink.
All tied up with red crochet thread, first note to "You" attached to the thread.
Just Between Me and You and Look In Glass packed up and ready for their trip to New York City. I was fortunately able to drive them down in late December and house them with friends prior to the residency which enabled me to focus on finishing up Index and prepare for my presentation.
I asked fellow Transart student and fellow crit group member Claire Barratt if she would be willing to interact with some of the work during my presentation. She agreed. Claire is the only member of the crit group I am in this year who does not make paintings, drawings, or objects. She is a performance, dance, theater artist and because of this her insight and responses within the crit group I have found very helpful in thinking through my process and the presentation of the work I have done this fall. I noticed in her responses to the work of all of the members of our group not only a tendency to state a response which seems to be more physical in its origins, but also the desire to interact with the work at a more physical level. Therefore I thought she should be the one to engage with the journal pages in Just Between Me and You. Aside from letting Claire know that instructions for engaging with the piece were contained in various envelopes to be found in the box, the only other 'instructions' given were to interact in front of the viewers, but not to 'share' the experience with the viewers. Both Claire and Kelly interpreted this in the way that they sat with their backs to the viewers. In addition I instructed Claire to take as long as she liked to with the box. I let her know that towards the end of the presentation I would ask Kelly to step away from the piece she was engaging with, but Claire could continue throughout the Questions & Feedback if she wished. This was asking a lot, knowing that the shattering of the glass would come as a complete shock, and in that moment Claire's professional training as a performer was essential in her being able to continue interacting with the journal pages. After the presentation Claire told me that she was deeply engaged with the pages, but was half hearing that something was changing in the presentation. Then the shattering occurred and it was a loud, popping noise. She said it shocked her, but she did not turn and look, she refocused on the pages and continued engaging with the box until the end of the questions and feedback. On the wall is the projection of the animated slide show Pages.
Claire Barratt opening the box and reading the second envelope of instructions.
Questions and Feddback. Pages continues to be projected on the wall. Look in Glass is shattered, yet contained on the blanket. Claire continues to interact with Just Between Me and You.
Video - Audio recording of the question and feedback portion of my presentation during the Winter Residency 2015 in New York City. The images are the animated slide show of the journal pages, Pages, which was projected on the wall during my presentation and the questions and feedback.
Video- This is an animated slide show I created of the journal pages. The movie was projected as a loop during my presentation at Winter Residency 2015. The slide show was created using photos, both whole and details, of the journal pages, after which I selected the 'origami' slide show in iPhoto, along with shuffle and repeat. This is how the slide show played on the iPad contained in Look In Glass. Unfortunately I was unable to play this directly as a slide show from iPhoto during the presentation and had to play this movie instead. I prefer the slide show because each time it is played the algorithm of the program selects the order and relationships of the images, so it is completely out of my hands and different each time. I currently have this set up on my Apple TV screen saver and it is fascinating to see the differences each time created by the shuffling. The movie, a fixed version, does not offer the viewer this level of chance.