meantime

Two person exhibition made in collaboration with Michael Muelhaupt, on view Oct. 2024 at Northern Southern in Austin, TX.

On — hold — off — hold; a cyclical pattern of metered and asynchronous breathing enacted by a series of household fans. Some objects within the fan's orbit fill up and collapse with each exhalation, gently vibrating and waving, evidence of the wind whooshing by. Others do nothing. They remain still. Holding their breath while a creeping oxidation spreads across the surface, another marker of exposure to air and the passage of time. 

To be aware of your breathing is an indicator of a heightened moment of attention or feeling, evidence of anxiety or an intentional attempt towards quiet or calm. 

What these things do and don't do, can and can't do, are or are not is at the core of this exhibition. They are porous objects; sensitive, reactive and responsive bodies; containers alternately emptied and then filled. A bag filled with air is a presence and an absence. An empty vessel, a site of potential use or a loss. 

The objects of the show depict and are constructed from what’s available, what’s abundant, what's affordable and accessible. Bags of dirt, box fans, butcher paper, hibiscus flowers grown in our backyard, baskets, totes bags, pothos leaves and a straw sunhat. They are a collection of bits and bobs plucked out of one shared world and dropped into another, getting warped and made strange in the process of translation.

all photos by Alex Boeschenstein

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What Moves the Flag or the Wind