Röda Staketet, 2012

Columbia University MFA Thesis Show

Fischer Landau Center, LIC, NY
HD Video Projection on installation with audio, dimensions vary
Materials: Plywood, formica, steel, bronze, glazed porcelain, oak, TV, VCR

Röda Staketet, translated from Swedish, “Red Fence” is the international symbol for people who identify as objectophilias. Within objectophilia, literally meaning the love of objects, individuals have intense emotional and physical relationships with inanimate objects such as bridges, buildings, fences, etc. It is a form of sexual or romantic attraction focused on particular inanimate objects. Individuals with this attraction may have strong feelings of love and commitment to certain items or structures of their fixation. For some, sexual or close emotional relationships with humans are incomprehensible. Some object-sexual individuals also often believe in animism, and sense reciprocation based on the belief that objects have souls, intelligence, and feelings, and are able to communicate. The advent of the internet allowed these disparate individuals to find eachother to connect and create a community online, whereas before these individuals were often isolated in their experience. Featuring projections within projections, an arrangement of “ready made” and painstakingly hand-made sculptures including a Shaker Chair are individual pieces that play an integral part in illustrating the larger concept at hand. Alone, they lose their significance. The actions that occur in the space are extremely banal and mundane; the performer tends to, walks around and looks at the objects as one among the viewers.