Extraction Lab (Machines #1-4)
2016
Extraction Laboratory embraces the common human belief that everyday objects have an ability to retain and absorb invisible histories through contact. Four sculptural machines attempt to extract historical residues from second-hand objects with ambiguous or untraceable pasts, through absurd yet persistent techniques.
Each machine uses a different technique to force an object into contact with a medium. In Machine #1, a ceramic rooster sheltered in the middle of an acrylic case is periodically enveloped in fog. In Machine #2, a heat lamp slowly melts the clear goop from a gel-encased porcelain figurine into a funnel below. Machine #3 slowly rotates a stubby floral vase so that it may be incessantly rubbed by a hovering Q-tip that maneuvers up and down across its surface. Machine #4 submerges a pair of purple pumps within a tank of water; on occasion, the shoe-water is drizzled on a bed of wheatgrass, which is then juiced. These mediums — the fog, gel, swab, and juice— in theory became saturated with invisible traces.
The installation seeks to investigate the following questions: What are the limits to our human capabilities for understanding the life of an object? Can and how do objects function as record keepers of humanity? How do our highly subjective psychological relationships to our material surroundings affect how we each move through and shape our collective material landscape?
