University of Iowa Iowa Research Online Theses and Dissertations Spring 2017 Architectural insomnia Rachel Poe University of Iowa Copyright 2017 Rachel Poe This thesis is available at Iowa Research Online: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5603 Recommended Citation Poe, Rachel. "Architectural insomnia." MFA (Master of Fine Arts) thesis, University of Iowa, 2017. https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd/5603. Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.uiowa.edu/etd Part of the Art Practice Commons
ARCHITECTURAL INSOMNIA by Rachel Poe A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa May 2017 Thesis Supervisor: Associate Professor Laurel Farrin
Copyright by RACHEL POE 2017 All Rights Reserved
Graduate College The University of Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CERTIFICATE OF APPROVAL This is to certify that the Master's thesis of MASTER'S THESIS Rachel Poe has been approved by the Examining Committee for the thesis requirement for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Art at the May 2017 graduation. Thesis Committee: Laurel Farrin Thesis Supervisor Susan White Sue Hettmansperger Jim Snitzer
To David for believing in me, traveling with me on this journey, and loving me. To my mom, Carrie, and Alan for their support, love and kindness. To my committee members for their guidance, patience and wisdom. To my friends for listening. Especially Patrick, Sophie, Kassie, Julia, Laura, Steve, and Hilary. Thank you all. ii
PUBLIC ABSTRACT My artistic practice addresses issues of how memory shapes our identity and how to use memory in order to better understand our perspective. Through the construction of liminal space, I reflect upon the subconscious and conscious mind. These images address issues of identity and how longing and nostalgia affect the human psyche. Through photographs of sculptures, paintings and light installations I address the architectural spaces in the world around me as catalysts. iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES...v ARCHITETECURAL INSOMNIA.1 iv
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Wave, archival photo inkjet paper, light, wood, paint, 24 x 36 x 12, 2017..3 2. Gardens for the night, archival photo inkjet paper, light, wood, paint, 24 x 36 x 12, 2017..4 3. Slide and Crash, Mylar, oil paint, light, 72 x 48 x 36, 2017..5 4. Slide and Crash (detail),, Mylar, oil paint, light, 24 x 36, 2017... 6 5. Build It and Pack It, Masonite board, foam, spray paint, 12 x 48 x 48, 2017.7 6. Red Window, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016.. 8 7. Hive, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016...9 8. Mustard House, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016... 10 9. The Chair, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016...11 10. Late Night, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 12 v
ARCHITECTURAL INSOMNIA I reevaluate my memories, childhood and identity. I long to know myself. I study the space around me with scrutiny. I gaze at the shifting light on my ceiling at night. I am entranced by the way it dances around me, sharing a moment with my mental state. I am seduced by the reflection of the light. In a sort of trance, I begin to let my mind drift in and out of myself. I study the way I attribute the natural lights ability to activate the space and my emotional connection to this moment. I begin to believe in its ability to make me feel I am experiencing something mystical. I craft my own spaces out of remnants of places I ve inhabited. They are made with simple materials: paper, spray paint, light. Their lightness and miniature size allow me to treat them as objects I can play with and manipulate easily. The windows and walls are layered with colors that mimic the exaggerated qualities of the original spaces. I fold, crease and pinch the loose pages together. They lean onto one another for support. They are little sad in this way. They have no agency of their own. I often allow them to collapse and bend depending on the whim of the page. In one hand, I balance my light source, waving the light over the paper like a wand. I am searching for the moment the light and the space activate one another. I sway my camera back and forth and hover over the forms. Sometimes I duck and weave my body 1
through the paper windows. There is a balancing act between myself and the spaces. I carefully dance around and support them. At any moment, they could and often do collapse. I don t know what the mood or tone of the photo will be when I start letting the mood bubble into place. Once the photo is taken it can redefine a memory replacing and distort the original memory. I want to feel suspended in the air between existing in the space and existing simultaneously within my own body. I want to float through my thoughts and feel like an explorer in my own memory: in my own identity. 2
Figure 1: Wave, paper, mylar, light, wood, acrylic paint, 90 x 60 x 216, 2017 3
Figure 2: Gardens for the night, archival photo inkjet paper, light, wood, paint, 72 x 120 x 14, 2017 4
Figure 3: Slide and Crash, Mylar, oil paint, light, 72 x 48 x 36, 2017 5
Figure 4: Slide and Crash (detail), archival photo inkjet paper, light, wood, paint, 24 x 36 x 12, 2017 6
Figure 5: Build It and Pack It, Masonite board, foam, spray paint, 12 x 48 x 48, 2017 7
Figure 6: Red Window, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 8
Figure 7: Hive, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 9
Figure 8: Mustard House, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 10
Figure 9: The Chair, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 11
Figure 10: Late Night, archival photo inkjet paper 18 x 24, 2016 12