A Clean Poorly Lighted Space Gallery is proud to support the work of Minneapolis artist, Tim Abel, as he explores ideas of geology, space, and time in ‘Portable Terrane’. In order to investigate these themes, Abel uses digital prints as well as various forms of printmaking to form an installation within the small gallery space.
In geology, terrane is a fragment of crustal material with an individual geological history that differs from the surrounding areas. These fragments have, in a sense, broke off from their original plate and traveled to another part of the earth, leaving them in a completely new surrounding. As A Clean Poorly Lighted Space is located within the University and within a hallway of an already existing building, the gallery, as well as the work displayed in the space functions as a metaphorical terrane. As a person travels through the hallways the mundane institutional grays, whites, and browns are interrupted by the bright light of the gallery and vibrant blues of Abel’s installation, it is a terrane, contrasting it’s surrounding area. The use of map imagery, thread, fabric, and paper, mirror this idea.
By manipulating the materials through the process of sewing, Abel is the mover and creator of each individual fragment finding their place within a larger plane. The idea of contrast within a context is brought up again with the use of thread, sewing, and sewing pins. These methods often connect to domesticity and femininity; take on a new meaning in the context of Abel’s installation. Instead, the marks created by thread and a sewing machine forms a road map or a timeline for the viewer to follow through the space. The sewing machine leaves a trail of dashed lines through the fragments of material, which mirror dashed lines on the pavement of a road taking us to any given destination. The pins take on the function of mile markers or cities or perhaps important events on a timeline.
When approaching the gallery, you are presented with a window that does not allow the viewer to see what lies on the opposite side. Instead, the viewer must move along the surface of the printed velum to peer through the circular holes. By interacting with the installation, the viewer is rewarded with a beautiful pattern of paper, fabric, and thread. The many pieces form a representation of strata. In geology, strata are layers of rock that distinguish them from contiguous layers. Natural forces create the layers; each layer represents a specific place in time. Abel patches materials together representing a time and place, within the confines of A Clean Poorly Lighted space a true portable terrane is experienced.
Jennifer Ekstrand Gallery Director/Curator
Cheyenne Seeley Assistant Gallery Director/Curator
1 comment:
Meep, I love you.
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