How does one see themselves in relation to a work of art? An open window captured in a painting can make us imagine entering the painted space and feeling the breeze on our skin. What if this was a two-way street? Here, a viewer’s breath, movement, and presence visibly affect the view. The evidence of being pressed up against the glass–and a sign of what’s missing–are posted on the curtains.
Breathplay Vista
Wood, mirrored glass, metal hardware, staples, and fabric with photographic transfers, 14x48”
Years ago, I read a paper in one of my Visual Studies classes that described the "embodied experience" of looking at art. The main "subject" of that paper was a painting of a curtain fluttering into a room, pushed by a breeze from an open window. The author used a mixture of empirical data and personal moment-to-moment experience to describe the phenomenon of interacting with (and within) the scene. Also years ago, the first time my now husband visited me in Philadelphia, we went to an exhibition where pieces of paper installed on the wall fluttered from our breath when we leaned in to look closely together. I think this piece comes from both of those things.