Celeste

I think of my light box installations as a method to bring the static photograph off the wall and into a space of exploration, where the viewer is encouraged to make connections. My installations are somewhat surreal and deliberately organic, as they adapt to the locations in which I install them. Evolution, growth, and connection are all important aspects of my work. I continue to work with light boxes as I find they reach a wide audience, with their reference to the screens we spend hours and hours of our time in front of, yet they are ‘still’ images, allowing for moments of reflection. ‘Celeste’ is an immersive photographic light box installation first exhibited in January 2018. Up to ten photographic light boxes hang from two 12’ spherical metal rings, suspended from trees. The light boxes are double-sided and display fine art travel photographs relating to each other. For example; a photograph of the large gold rock of Kyaiktiyo Pagoda in Burma is displayed on the outside of one light box while the inside is a photograph of people praying at the same Pagoda. Participants can walk around and enter the installation, moving through it, exploring the connections amongst the images displayed. ‘Celeste’ has now been installed at four different events; in each instance I’ve utilized the trees on site to organically direct the layout of both the hanging of the rings and the placement of the light boxes. Having been installed outdoors, wind has created movement and the swinging of the light boxes was extreme in cases. Therefore, I added chains to weigh the light boxes down. These chains hang from metal bars mounted on the bottom of each light box to create more stability. The chains also generate noise, and while the images themselves tend to be inspiring and surreal, the chains add both a literal and figurative grounding to the installation. ‘Celeste’ is adaptable and immersive. The images displayed within can be switched out to relate to the attendees of the event in which I am invited to exhibit. Yet the thematic elements remain the same and are rooted in bridging connections between world cultures, encouraging the viewer to take both literal and metaphysical journeys around the world.