Process Art 2023
The influence for this project was from Melanesian belief systems, that animate and inanimate things have an eternal spiritual essence. Through funeral ceremonies, Melanesian cultures used what is called "process art." Process art is a work of art that is created, presented, and then discarded. This art process connects to the belief that inanimate objects have a spiritual essence and that all things must die when its job is done.
For the project I photographed the journey to a museum where no art 'dies', but is preserved, using a 35mm black and white film camera and used existing film from other projects.
The film documenting the museum trip was 'souped' in tea, salt, turmeric, and toilet bowl cleaner. This allowed the film to be 'destroyed' but giving it an interesting result. The existing film that I felt surveyed its purpose was burned and then printed.
The main goal of this project was to convey how art has a life in a metaphorical sense. There was a lot of questioning museums and galleries that preserve art, keeping many that will barely see the light of day, and what purpose the artwork has being behind ropes and glass. It was also a way for me to let go. As an artist my art is my baby, letting go of them is hard, but understanding they have a life of their own and the need to let go of them once created was a big step of this process.
