The works in “Ruminations” are visualizations of time wasted.
To ruminate is to mediate or muse, to ponder, to brood. There is no completion to the thought, there is only the thought, performed over and over, often resulting in increased anxiety. It is simply the act of thinking, the work of thinking, with no conclusion. “Ruminations” is a series that labors over the ideas of work and time in the era of late stage capitalism. It explores the absurdity of this era, the impulse for constant productive action, and how this changes our relationship to time.
The series is split into two sections, “Ruminations on Work” and “Ruminations on Time.”
“Ruminations on Work” are all solitary durational performances in which I perform a single action simply for the sake of performing the action. All of the sculptures in the series could be described as documentation of these performances, completed between 2019-2020. Although the actions reference a productive, purposeful form of work, the products of said work in this case are pointless, non-functional objects. They are repeated to a point of destruction – absurdity to challenge the notion of productivity. They are documented and presented here as complete objects representing a specific period of time, although they could be added to ad infinitum.
To ruminate is to mediate or muse, to ponder, to brood. There is no completion to the thought, there is only the thought, performed over and over, often resulting in increased anxiety. It is simply the act of thinking, the work of thinking, with no conclusion. “Ruminations” is a series that labors over the ideas of work and time in the era of late stage capitalism. It explores the absurdity of this era, the impulse for constant productive action, and how this changes our relationship to time.
The series is split into two sections, “Ruminations on Work” and “Ruminations on Time.”
“Ruminations on Work” are all solitary durational performances in which I perform a single action simply for the sake of performing the action. All of the sculptures in the series could be described as documentation of these performances, completed between 2019-2020. Although the actions reference a productive, purposeful form of work, the products of said work in this case are pointless, non-functional objects. They are repeated to a point of destruction – absurdity to challenge the notion of productivity. They are documented and presented here as complete objects representing a specific period of time, although they could be added to ad infinitum.
An Ode to #PolishMountain
2020-
7in x 9in x 4in
Nail Polish, Plaster
357 layers of nail polish; a visualization of a process that has removed the process of removal. This sculpture alludes to a YouTube trend circa 2018 wherein users paint 100 layers of nail polish on their own fingernails.
Aluminum Foil Ball
2020-
4in x 4in x 4in
100 yards of Aluminum foil, Black 3.0
100 yards of aluminum foil crushed into a ball and shined. Half of the ball is then painted with Black 3.0 an acrylic paint created by Stuart Semple that absorbs 99% of all light, just shy of Vantablack. The result is a flat material physically shaped into a sphere only to be flattened again with pigment. Shaping aluminum foil into a ball using only a hammer was a Japanese internet trend that gained popularity in 2019.
Send Noods
2020-
7in x 7in x 8in
Flour, Glue, Dye
Encased in a bell jar, Send Noods, is the remnant of a multi-hour solitary performance of making handmade noodles. Making a homemade meal from scratch is often touted as a way to nourish the body and soul and alleviate anxiety. Can simply going through the motions and creating the food in a way that is ultimately inedible prolong the benefits of the process, or without the final step of consumption does the whole process fall flat?
Nailed It
2019-
6in x 5in x 72in
Wood, Nails
Sculptural documentation of a performance in which I repeat the action of nailing a board. The action references a seemingly productive and active form of work with no clear purpose.
Love Island
2020
10in x 400in
Yarn
A scarf if loom-knitted for 29 hours and 21 minutes, the full duration of Season 6 of Love Island: UK, highlighting a contrast in the activities of passively watching and actively making.
Portrait of the Artist as Administrator
2019-
12in x 12in x 7in
Robot Vacuum, Home surveillance camera
A robotic vacuum with a home surveillance camera affixed to the top. The robot vacuum drives around exhibitions looking at everyone else’s work. The video streams over the gallery’s wi-fi and viewers are able to go onto my website to view the show remotely. It’s glitchy and goofy and not a great way to view the show but draws attention to the absurdity of outsourcing the viewing of the show to a website. The robot moves around the gallery as if it is vacuuming and is, in fact, also vacuuming.
