Week 5 (and then some) – Showtime and Recap

Last week was by far the most stressful week of the quarter. All week I prepared my house and transferred it into a gallery…not to mention putting the finishing touches on the actual installation room – which ended up taking until an hour before the guests arrived. From purchasing the liquids, to arranging them correctly, to transporting them downstairs, to filling the cubes up…it was a roller coaster til the very last-minute.

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I had issues throughout the week that were not directly related to my project, but definitely created more stress. Monday before the show, the P-trap drain clogged in our basement which was 15 foot from my dark room. This began to back up water immediately since the air conditioner was running so much. In fact, the AC unit was running SO much that it died Monday afternoon as well. Tuesday we had to have a plumber plus HVAC experts come fix our problem…add another $500 to the total cost of what we have spent so far this quarter (which I will tally up later.) Wednesday I tested all the cubes again with water to make sure that they wouldn’t leak – and in fact, 3 had leaks. Thursday was spent moving all of my artwork around the house to the main level. I ended up having an example of artwork from every class I took at DU on display – which I thought was a perfect way to exhibit my growth considering my final project was so different. Friday was the soft opening and I had my mentor/friend/curmudgeon critic/ professional artist Craig Marshall Smith stop over to get his opinion before the grand opening the next night; for him to say it was great eased a lot of my stress and I was confident I created something special. However, later that night we had a major rainstorm and my basement flooded .

Water in our window-well after the storm...the day before the show.

It ALMOST got all the way into my installation room but luckily I got to it in time to push all the water down my newly freed up P-trap. Saturday I wrote up a creative statement and disclaimer for viewing the show and added some fine tuning to the aesthetics of the house.

The entry way of the show...in my kitchen.Room 1Room 2Room 2DisclaimerCreative Statement

I also had to purchase more batteries and lights for the columns. Lastly, I closed off the installation room completely from the lower level, voiding it of light…which caused a vacuum of suction with the tarp walls and began opening up holes I had to fix all the way up until 5:00 pm. All was taken care of in time and the room was pitch black, perfect. Guests arrived right at 6:00 and stayed until 10:00 pm. I was nervous and excited. The major concern I had during the show was that the batteries/light would wear out OR that the cubes would leak. Thankfully, nothing like that happened. People seemed to be very impressed with the layout of the house and appreciated my efforts. They commented on how nice it was to see what I did during my time in the program and that it was very appropriate to see those first before going downstairs. They had to read the disclaimer before entering the basement as it truly was pitch black and very disorienting. Once downstairs, it was silent and I could sense they were pleased with what was in front of them as the only light in the room was coming from the project. All around the room was the 8-speaker audio of urination and toilettes flushing; which ironically sounded very relaxing and people couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I led a lot of tours (only 4 people at a time) down to see it and just let them look. The liquid filled all the way to the top created an amazing illusion with the surface tension – people thought there was a lid but only if I tapped the top did they see. The cubes looked as thought they were floating and curiousity was definitely getting the better of everyone who saw it. If they had questions, I answered but if not, I let them assume everything on their own. Looking at my sign-in book, a little less than 50 people showed up. I know I challenged their perception of art. The next day was very sad as I realized that would probably be the only time the cubes as a unit will be on display. Setting up the project is very tedious as I have to take out half of the liquid, pull it off the column, turn on the light, put the cube back on, and fill it back up to the brim. Taking it down requires the same effort but slower as the liquid has to be put into the proper buckets/containers without spilling. I’ve considered converting them into fish tanks now or adding layers of sediment but for all I know, they will remain downstairs collecting dust – which is fine with me since I know what they are and can become.

Seeing my vision come to life, after restlessly stirring in my OCD head for 18 months made it all worth it. What was seen by the audience was exactly what I could see all along. Pictures do not do justice to the experience of being in the room but it is the only documentation of my beautiful, contemporary work of art. I am proud of what I created and feel I have contributed to the progression of art.

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Week 5 (and then some) – Showtime and Recap

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