Waterbed Motel
“Waterbed Motel”, 1984
Mixed media, including papier-mâché, wood, cardboard, acrylic paint, pastels Lifesize This piece was destroyed during a studio move along with a number of others. For my final project of my graduate school experience, I worked on this elaborate tableau for over six months. The installation was very large and included a theatrical background with forced perspective. It expanded in the available space as a reverse trapezoid, both shrinking in scale and widening at the same time. Each object was distorted to fit the space. Some were constructed outright from papier-mâché, such as the waterbed, while others, like the twisted yellow and green side-chair, were actual objects cut apart by hand and reassembled. Though it does not translate in the still image presented here, the miniature neon sign outside the window blinks “vacancy/no vacancy.” While continuing to use myself as a character in my work, this piece departs from an attempt at a kind of literal storytelling to depict different states of emotion coexisting. The couple in the shower are having a moment of pure sensuality, while the other couple (the same people) have an awkward moment. The waterbed woman looks up at herself in the mirrored ceiling with a shock of embarrassment and guilt—sort of a “what have I done?” expression. |
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