A rug suspended in the air on wooden poles 2-2,5 meters
above the ground in the middle of the exhibition space creates a temporary shelter.
The carpet seems to be floating except for the four corners anchored with rope
to large canisters holding drinking water. Through this tent-like structure a slide show
of images belonging to our collective global consciousness, culled from the internet,
is projected onto the main wall of the exhibition space.
The rug is clearly Persian and the wooden poles are broom handles complete with brush heads,
six in all, creating a sheltered living space under the carpet large enough for
a person to walk through, stand up in, or for a family to sleep in. The projected images
on the wall are events from our world today, primarily documenting the hardship of man-made
catastrophes and events surrounding the aftermaths of natural disasters. Many of these instances
have resulted in deaths, where the fortunate survivors have been reduced to living in tent cities,
suddenly thrust into nomadic times. A significant aspect of the documented events is how one individual
has profited at the expense of another.
The Tent Cities installation is augmented by several other sculptural objects
whose presence further contextualize the authorship,
and responsibility for the actions committed, or in some cases,
lack of action (“no laws were broken", and "back to business as usual”).
This installation and supporting works intend to facilitate the remembering
of these events through a more complete and comprehensive imagery.
The installation is intended to stimulate a dialog based on fact rather than illusion,
not to glamorize disaster and hardship, or to celebrate the morose,
but simply to remind us that in times like these, all of us, with all our best intentions,
could end up living in a tent made from a Persian rug and several brooms.
