Familiar Landscapes
Familiar Landscapes is a large-scale installation meant to be experienced from outside and from within. The 6ft tall walls create narrow passageways which the viewer can use to explore the scenes up close. The piece approaches the feeling of reality and what it means for the grip on reality to loosen.
The Vision
“This piece does not aim to tell a specific story but to describe an experience. An experience that happens within the mind. An experience that chains us to the past and burns with the possibilities of the future. The physical transformation that the figures undergo throughout this self inflicted journey is joined by the dissolving of reality throughout the layers. Reality is seen not as a constant but a malleable experience which is able to be distorted by one’s own will.”
The Process
The creation of Familiar Landscapes began with the goal to represent the loss of reality. With each wall the viewer would experience, reality would vanish and the logic would be lost. Each wall was approached as both a stand alone piece and as a part of the greater whole. The entire installation can be viewed when standing in the center of the first wall - the carefully placed cutouts on each wall pulls the eye through the piece. A more intimate experience can be enjoyed by walking through the narrow pathways that separate each wall. After the walls were designed, wooden frames were constructed to match the dimensions of each panel. Then the frames were painted and panels installed to complete the piece.
The Deliverables
The final installation included 22 6ft tall panels, over 200ft of paper, over 90 2in x 2in wood posts, and over 500 hours. It was installed in the Millar Fine Arts Gallery at Linfield University.