Contemporary Antiquities is an ongoing project that consists of projected light drawings in spaces of classical architecture, such as the Villa Aurelia and the Dell'Acqua Paola Fountain. The placement of these images in the architectural settings of historic Rome addresses concepts of ideology and notions of presence over centuries. The scaled depiction of women, metaphorically in command of these spaces of antiquity, serves to question the traditional visualizations of women in past eras and in the present. In some cases, the women are both monumentalized, as in historic portraiture, but the artwork also serves to monumentalize the beauty of the everyday. This project includes icons in the symbolic and metaphorical representations of presence. The dialogues that take place in this work include the projections with institutions of ideology, as well as with the viewer as participant.
Conversations & Prototypes
We’ve had many conversations during the course of this residency. Some were practical: “What time should we meet at the gallery? Did you bring the drill?” Others were conceptual: “How direct or deliberate should the artwork be? What is the message, anyway?” Along the way, we had conversations with others, with each other, and with ourselves. We surrounded these conversations with plenty of treats—tantalizing olive spreads, ricotta sweets, and other delicacies—as part of our aim was to promote conviviality and exchange around the artistic process.
Quickly, what seemed like practical questions shifted to become more philosophical. “Do you think we should make this in wire or as a projection?” became a discussion not just about materials and where to get them, but what type of aesthetic experiences we wanted to construct.
How to make a work become fully embodied in the present and yet still be open-ended with room for evolution is a question that always accompanies the artistic process. What is on view are still-moving propositions—a series of “what if?” questions. The residency has been a way to use the artistic process as a form of research.
The residency was also an opportunity to explore the idea of curatorial dramaturgy. Dramaturgy is typically associated with theatrical settings, but it can be applied to the development of exhibitions (and artworks) as well. What is the ebb and flow of the piece? How do you understand the “story” if the work is essentially non-narrative? How do you remember all the ideas and possible directions of what was discussed, tested, rejected, assembled, and reintroduced? What are the spatial, emotional, and material dynamics that emerge when working in a specific space, and how do these impact the audience experience?
Our next steps for this project include making conversations themselves—as well as performance—in and around the artwork—an intrinsic and ongoing part of the pieces. With the interchange of ideas, voices, and other materials, the work could expand out into exciting new directions.
Kathy Desmond & Lauren O’Neal, March 2019
Drawing is a fundamental part of my work. For me, the process of drawing is as much a part of the work as the final project.
Time
3 minutes 9 seconds
In this animation, seventy-five year old Mary reflects on her life alone as she opens her daily mail.
© 2003 All Rights Reserved KDesmond
Auntie is a single-channel video where my Auntie Dot reflects on her life as she gets ready for bed. The movement in my work is emotional, philosophical, and reflective and relates as much to the process of creating and sharing the work as to the interaction of the audience to the work. I find the transitory nature of video very powerful-while the viewer is there, they are in the moment, much like in a conversation. I use video to promote a human element without the physical presence - people still want to talk to, look at, and reflect with other people.
In this installation, there are nine monitors arranged in a semicircle according to age from the left. One to three people talk about one sibling as the other siblings look on. When they are finished talking, another three begin to talk about specific memories of another sibling and their relationship today.
This series is a set of contemporary designs that explore gender and representation, drawing inspiration from, but updating, the historical representations of women in 19th and 20th century design.
This detail communicates the difference that a crowd of voices may have when expressing the need for change.
This wall mural includes iconic women from the early 21st century. The arrangement is a explorative study for projections, fabric and wallpaper design.
