Rhoustabout's Hold
2001
Installation at the Fleisher Art Memorial
Fleisher Challenge
Philadelphia, PA
11-3/4' H x 26' W x 25' D
Description:
Roustabout’s Hold is a large cloud anchored to the floor. The cloud, constructed of folded metal screening, bursts through the suspended ceiling and spirals downward. Lines of twine attach the structure to anchor blocks made of corrugated cardboard. The piece is lit solely by a cluster of bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling in the center of the cloud.
The anchors outline a labyrinth that viewers can follow as far as possible. The audience must determine whether they wish to navigate the space and, if so, how to proceed.
With its panels removed, the framework of the suspended ceiling is visible. This heightens the ceiling while revealing the gallery’s structural identity and incorporating it into the work.
Statement:
Roustabout’s Hold is derived from the Rabbit-Pit-Diaries. The diaries are a collection of poetry, paintings, and installations. The project chronicles two adolescent boys’ experiences with being disenfranchised. The boys, having been exiled from their domestic lives by misadventure and homophobia, counter their reality with escapism.
Thematically, Roustabout’s Hold is concerned with identifying and capturing the ethereal, be it air, memories, or desires. The historical symbology of the labyrinth invites reflection. It also references creation myths, DNA, and rites of passage.
Aesthetically, the piece engages the architectural notion of a “white box gallery” in an ambivalent conversation. Removing the ceiling panels challenges the sanctity of the convention, while the fact that the piece, if an actual structure would extend beyond the walls, fully utilizes the gallery as a device to present slices of other realities.
Partially funded by a fellowship from the Independence Foundation.
Edward J. Sozanski, “The magic, not the meaning matters”, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 14, 2001
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