Interstitial-pertaining to, situated in, or forming interstices.
Interstices- an intervening space.
or a small or narrow space or interval between things or parts, esp. when one of a series of alternating uniform spaces and parts: the interstices between the slats of a fence.
The first thing I did after I came home from the MFA Thesis show was look up interstitial in the dictionary. The definition still didn't clear much up for me about the piece. I saw this piece twice, under different circumstances. The first time I saw it was opening night. The first time, the sound was down pretty low and I had to share the room with multiple people. The second time, I cranked the volume up (like you told us to in class) and sat there with one other person in total silence. I felt uncomfortable most of the time. You made the whole process, especially removing your piercings, seem very painful (especially the septum ring), I was literally squirming in my seat. There was one point during the removal of the rings, where the sound got really really loud and I was just sitting there, eyes glued to the screen. I couldn't look away. The whole time I was watching, I felt like you were preparing me for something really big to happen. But it never happens. Maybe that's what the title has to do with the piece. An interstice is the small or narrow space or interval between things or parts, maybe the whole process of you removing your piercings, shaving your head, and covering yourself in green stuff, is part of the interval before something really big and important happens. However, you don't show us what happens next, leaving me wanting more. The first time I saw your piece, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I wanted to like it but I wasn't sure. The second time changed my mind a bit. Cranking the volume was the key. The music is definitely what did it for me. It was very foreboding and fit very well with the action taking place.
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Very interesting, Thank you for you thoughts. You are right. The way we encounter a piece is very important to the way we read such works. Simply seeing it under two different circumstances makes this clear. So whenever we seek to do something beyond a a simple matted photograph we should always remember this. Take as much into consideration as possible and plan to control as much as possible. And as for the title, I like the idea of mysterious names but for some it isn't so mysterious. But in both cases it doesn't give anything away. It's just a clue. Also keep this in mind. Naming is always tricky. Try an figure out how you want your titles to function- as an explanation? as a key? or simply descriptive?
ReplyDeleteThanks again. I enjoyed it. And I am glad youu came back for a second look.
I found the piece pretty interesting as well and had a similar experience with the volume level and lack of privacy in the room at the Anderson Gallery but when I saw it at ADA Gallery for the Artists Exchange event, it was a little more effective. I think it was a combination of the atmosphere, size of the projectionm and the big sound.
ReplyDeleteAll the while, I was trying to figure out if this was purely abstract or if it was a narrative. The title was a little vague, but basically, I wanted it to mean something.
Thoughts that ran thru my mind was that this was a process or a transformation or a cruiosity... a whimsical sort of reference to how one is perceived by others based on their appearance, whether it be their piercings, or their ethnicity... and the shaving cream was a symbol of the whitewashing of ones character. Even interpreted from a socially conscious point of view, this seemed more like a personal portrait than a preachy one. This might be a over simplified way of looking at things...