Homage to Kelly
Installation
2022
I found myself captivated by Ellsworth Kelly's drawings of flowers and plants once discovered him as an artist. I love them! The lines are strong and precise yet so beautiful and fluid. There's a rawness and vulnerability with the depictions of these plants that touch me. These pieces are simply stunning. They look so fragile and delicate, and their tender beauty is easily shown in how he draws them. I don't think there's a drawing of a plant by Ellsworth Kelly that I do not like. I wanted to present this fragility, rawness, and delicacy throughout my installation, Homage to Kelly. I chose a costume that portrayed a structured stem on top with soft, fluid petals on the bottom. For this outfit, I wanted it to appear as if there were nothing on at all. In fact, I fancied for the audience to see me as just a mere spirit with flowy appendages being swayed by the wind. My choice of fabric represented the weightlessness and delicateness that his flora drawings have to the human eye and how easily, if one could imagine, could be lifted and floated with help from the gentlest of breeze. Lastly, I used feathers and batting to create a swirling illusion caused by the wind as the crescendo of my installation. This mixture of the wind blowing the feathers and batting created a hypnotizing nature that perfectly showcased Ellsworth Kelly's artistic drawings. I really enjoyed the unpredictability of this event, and I look forward to working with unpredictability again.