According to the artist, working with found objects and connectors allows the viewer to interact with the materials. For instance, the objects will be visible through the rope and string. The installation then becomes more personal to the viewer as he or she can identify things from their everyday life. Sculpting with everyday objects is similar to life there is no sure thing–something useful one moment is discarded the next. These materials speak to the fragile balance that exists in day to day existence. Thus, it is important to respect, support, and love our communities, families and environment.
Flying High is a site specific installation constructed out of brown butcher paper The paper may be crunched, crumpled, rolled, twisted, interlocked, woven and manipulated hanging between two trees. Its formations and sunlight will create patterns of shadows, as well as contrast of light and dark. The paper will be treated with waterproof varnish.
Butcher paper for me is a metaphor for the treatment of people in developing countries, particularly those of African descent. It is used for many things and tossed away once we are done. Wrapping meat, craft, shipping and packing of materials are just some of its uses. When we pack things we often push them down, bunching the paper to fill corners, trying to get everything tightly secured, and contained. It symbolizes consumption in a global market.
Flying High is also meant to question our ancestral, historical, cultural and political past, as well as the possibilities for our future. I will encourage the viewer to look at the wrinkles in the paper, think about the wrinkles in the skin of the elders in your families: What stories do they tell? What memories do they hold? Look at the ways in which the paper intertwines: How are you connected to your ancestral legacy? Look at the shadows the paper casts: What are your hidden truths? What is the imprint of your personhood on humanity and the environment?
WEST HARLEM ART FUND 