Lull seeks to create a visualization of the digital space the majority of Americans spend time everyday in. This digital space (meaning the endless scroll of social media, constantly checking the news or the weather, or the flipping back and forth between apps) can feel extremely comforting, which is why we instinctually turn to it.
With Lull my vision of this digital space (warm, inviting, soothing) comes to life through film, sound, and sculpture.
Lull, 2019. Installation View. Understudy, Denver, CO.
Throughout the creation of this work I thought a lot about irony’s role in the digital age we are currently a part of. I find it quite ironic that Americans escape into their phones to avoid contact with the outside world. To avoid a conversation on the bus we turn to a conversation via text. To avoid our stressed lives we relish the lavish lives of influencers. To seek a quiet commute to work we plug in our music.
The idea that peace can exist within overwhelming conditions is quite ironic, and yet something we can experience in nature. Think about the eye of the storm, or crossing the event horizon of a black hole (assuming past the horizon is vast nothingness for all my science lovers out there), or even that moment when you cliff jump from a waterfall and plunge into the water. The water around you dampens everything and even with gallons of water cascading around you, a peaceful lull is created.
This idea of a peaceful chaos, though on the surface a little asinine, does exist and can be experienced.
Lull, 2019. Installation View. Understudy, Denver, CO.
My interest in creating a new iteration of a natural event is what becomes the subject matter for the film which fills the wall-like projection screens in Lull. Shot primarily through a macro lens, the film highlights moments of domestic observation, studio creation, and natural events. Each image, though often intensely layered, shows a new instance of visual stimuli I encounter almost daily. The editing plays off of this, meant to visually bombard the viewer, giving little hint at what is actually being witnessed.
As I continue to sit the gallery over the course of April I think my ideas about this installation will continue to grow and change. For now, the way I understand Lull is through experiencing what I have created and feeling what effect it has over me as a viewer.
Lull is installed at Understudy located on the corner of 14th and Stout Street in downtown Denver, CO until April 28th.
Open hours for Lull are: M/W/F/S/Su 7:00 – 10:00pm
Thank you to Thadeous Miguel, Annie Giemer, and David Moke for the opportunity and support throughout this process.