Site-specific Sculpture
1998 Exposed Sculpture Exhibit, Helen Day Art Center, Stowe, Vermont
With "Conversation Device," I attempted to transcend narrative. Since all my previous work had been unfailingly anecdotal, I wanted to force a cooler, more abstract, architectural level of interaction by selecting unfamiliar materials. I soon found that while the work WAS cool and abstract, my storyteller voice remained in place.
A couple is meant to sit, one on each side of the wall, and converse through an opening at face level. The opening is funnel-shaped giving an unfair advantage to one party, while reducing the voice of the other.
From the trampled grass, you can see the sculpture functioned as hoped. It also proved an unexpected joy for wild boys who needed something to vault over.
