installation at das weisse haus

here is the statement, which is posted with the installation:

title
"Untitled (far from home)"
plants, chandelier, plant-grow bulbs, timers set to sunrise/sunset light schedule of home
dimensions variable
2008

Faced with the unique proposition of an exhibition that is not open to the public due to the holiday schedule of Das Weisse Haus, I have conceived an exhibition that is an open-lab for the viewer. Using a chandelier and plant-grow bulbs, an assortment of plants will not only be exposed to the growing and fading light of Vienna, but, in addition will receive nourishment from a aggrandized light source that playfully and earnestly embraces the idea of 'home' when far away. As the light cycle of the chandelier will be staggered to mimic the light cycle of home many hours behind, a typical day for the installation will reveal episodes of nourishment from only Vienna, only the grow-bulbs, both, and neither. Not meaning to test the prospect of the plants growing inward or outward, the installation is an invitation to the viewer to consider the idea of synergy and flux, that we are nurtured simultaneously by multiple environments, even if we are cognizant of a longing for the familiar.

This installation, a departure from my usual art-practice of creating two-dimensional photo works, operates on a history of utilizing the conceptual self-portrait to explore private and public concerns, musings, and observations. As viewers pass by and come to understand the mechanics of the installation, I hope for the understanding that 'lights out' operates as a dynamic action as understood in this context...that the individual, and specifically the artist, understand every environment as an opportunity for growth, even when all the lights are out.

The installation will be viewable 24/7 at Das Weisse Haus, 11 WestbahnstraBe until August 23rd.