Through the translation of decorative objects between a two-dimensional and three-dimensional world, the exhibition mimics the failure of consumable objects to function in their intended ways once they enter our homes. Just as advertisements and store displays project a false reality that one should strive to recreate in their own homes, the etchings featured in my thesis show are the “ideal” that the three-dimensional work is striving to replicate. Taking visual cues from the various ways objects and patterns collide in two-dimensional space, the installation replicates those same interactions, creating visual slippage. The translation represents both the falseness of consumer objects when they make the transition between the advertisement and the real object, and the failure of mass produced objects to truly represent our individual personalities.
The exhibition’s title “i saw the striped couch”, references how we as individuals identify ourselves by the experiences we have, in the same way that we identify our personalities with the objects we choose to purchase, wear, or display in our homes. By treating the striped couch as another “must see” or “must have” object, the exhibition is replicating the way products and experiences are marketed within a Capitalist society. However, there are always gaps between the advertised “ideal” and the real thing, leaving viewers with the sense that seeing the striped couch may be the closest they will ever come to engaging with the product I have created.
below: all are etchings with chine collé on BFK Rives. 15 x 22".