Detail

6’ h x 9’ w x 4” d, Glass

Detail is made up of nine 4½” squares equally spaced across the twelve-foot expanse of a gallery, organized in order from light grey to dark black. The squares are held in place by very thin wire supports and are situated above a 39” h x 18” w x ¼” d gradient panel leaning against the wall with nine square holes from which the squares were cut.

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I created a pattern with the repetition of the squares on the wall that feels calming and distracting as the viewer begins to follow a pattern as they look at one panel, move to the next and look again. This repetitive action creates a subtle feeling of calm that is disturbed as the viewer becomes aware of the large glass panel leaning against the wall. The feeling of calm slowly turns into an uneasy feeling of caution. In truth, the piece was held securely in place but the effect for the viewer is one of calmness to tension as they are reminded of the fragility of the material and their experience with breaking glass in their past.

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I also wanted to change what the viewer sees in this work from seeing it as a whole to seeing the individual tube-like forms within. I spend a lot of time with the work up close as the maker and I fall in love with small areas of movement, depth, and form. 

My focus jumps around the glass panel as I study the forms that the murrini has become distorted into before my attention is stolen by another murrini in a different position and pose. This visual taking of inventory seems to last a long time and when I finally force myself to stop, my eyes are usually quite tired and my mind is racing. I have noticed that when I show the work to the public, they are not always as intimately focused on the individual details of the forms and often see the larger overall piece as a whole. Perhaps they don't want to get close to it for fear that they might bump it and have it crash down into a thousand pieces. By removing and featuring nine of my favorite focal points from the whole, Detail enabled me to force the viewer to look exactly where I focused and allowed me to share my experience with them so that they too can understand the work in a way that is similar to my experience.