Friday, September 26, 2008

Wish You Were Here (another perspective)



Self-inflicted cracks
9" x 9"
Photo Collage

This photo collage continues where the previous photo collage left off. Construction is still everywhere around my apartment, but now the effects of construction have taken a toll. I'm pretty sure my apartment's foundation has shifted causing cracks to run up the building. The floor tiles in my kitchen have shifted, and paint is beginning to peel from the walls. This is caused from the sprinklers on the roof of the new "green" apartments that spray onto the roof of my apartment.

The bookcase in the background holds vhs tapes, DVDs, books, and photo albums. It represents the clutter that accumulates when living in an apartment.

12 comments:

lebuck8 said...

Wow what an interesting piece! How did you do this? It is really beautiful and eerie at the same time.

gracki said...

Sami,
I love how your work is evolving. There is a sensitive and delicate feeling to this piece, but also a steady rhythm and beat which is conveyed through the repeated background image of your bookshelf. This is a really clever piece. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Amy said...

That was cool I didn't see the books until I read what you wrote, very understated!

favorite things said...

I identify with this piece. I have lived in so many apartments with cracking walls that I stared at by default. I enjoy the way you turned this experience into a work of art.

favorite things said...

Thanks! I'm glad we share a love for drips. I always enjoy working with paint like that.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the comment! I have noticed that too, but there's just something about being outside.

Anonymous said...

Hi Sam!
This is really wonderful; I love the subtle color and pattern that is created by the stacks of books and movies. I’m really drawn in and I really enjoy it, it's beautiful.

Margaret Joan MacIsaac said...

The books at first looked like 70-80’s geometric wallpaper, till looking closer and reading your words, I too have a tendency to hold on to things long after they have become tattered torn and worn, they seem to be comforting holding memories of time, place, people, as we become tattered, torn and worn.

Christy Hahn said...

Samantha,

This is one of those pieces that demands to be studied. At first, I thought the bookcases were part of a pattern on the wall, like wallpaper. I also couldn't tell if it was photograph or a painting. The way the crack is spreading reminds me of the after effects of a bullet hole in glass. Deceptive, but I'm a big fan of deceptive.

Christy

Jennifer Welsh said...

I really love the simplicity and layering of images. The construction is a real problem. This is a little off topic but.... My old apartment was in Northern Liberties and all around me there was construction, my foundation/apartment was not effected structurally BUT there was a huge problem with mice & bugs because of it...

jmkilburn said...

Your work suggests that you really have a personal connection to your place, despite (or perhaps due to) the age and character of the building. The cracks are fracturing not just the paint, but your sense of peace and permanence in that apartment. Yes, the 'green roof' next door is doing some not so green things to your building! The unintended consequences of 'progress' are sweeping older structures into the dustbin of history at an accelerated pace. Like Tyler Durden said in Fight Club, "The things you own end up owning you."

jmkilburn said...

Thank you for your comment, but I wanted to let you know that there's a link at the bottom to a photo album of the rest of my 'walk.' Check it out!

Memories are a funny thing, how they can come out of seemingly nowhere and be so vivid and meaningful.