Sunday, March 22, 2009

EMPTY SPACES


We installed a show of Melanie's installation work at the Access Gallery in downtown Denver's Santa Fe Art District. The work is a combination of bird mobiles, house shaped screens stretched and suspended in the space, two light sources to create a moving shadow show of flying birds onto the surfaces of the screens and an early 80's sound track that Melanie created using "peeper" frog recordings along with old 78 hand cranked turntable scratch recordings played backwards.




























The installation uses sewn panels of fiberglass window screen with appliqued bird images and painted picket fences enclosing the two spaces on each side of the gallery. Small fans are placed to move the bird mobiles creating fluctuating shadows across the ceiling, walls and screens of the installation. The effect is like a bird avery let loose from the confines of an urban scene.

Melanie's statement about the show:

I am interested in constructing spaces that conjure up memory and non specific narratives. My interest in installation art derives from a desire to create an all encompassing environment that surrounds the viewer and allows them to experience stories drawing from their own personal narratives. Empty Spaces alludes to shadow plays, illusion, puppetry and memory.

I remember reading somewhere that the crow is considered to be the ‘one-eyed seer’. The Crow looks at the world with first one eye, then the other - cross-eyed. In the Mayan culture, cross-eyeds had the privilege and duty of looking into the future. In a certain way because of my cross eyed, one eyed vision, I have long identified with the crow. It is a black bird and my name means the ‘dark one’. It sees with one eye or cross eyed as I do. I have always felt that the role of the artist is to see into the future in a new way that helps to bring about a paradigm shift. I have strived to see through my disability and have used my altered vision to change my own perception of the world through my work.

With this exhibition I want to thank Access Gallery for giving me the chance to do this installation. I also want to give special thanks to my partner George Peters for all his help, support and our constant dialog about ideas and how to express them visually.

Melanie Walker



The show "Empty Spaces" will be up until April 10th, 2009

The Access Gallery is located at 909 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, Colorado

These images and more can be viewed on the slide show

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Hi Melanie,
That's great - I will come tomorrow to see the installation by myself, (naja geht wohl nicht). It seems very light - Beautyful.
Greatings Anke