Surveying Desire X: Quest

This installation occupied the hallway display case, central gallery, and exterior terrace at Saint Cloud State University. Conflating the search for a northwest passage (Zebulon Pike was among those exploring the area) with the pursuit of companionship, paired texts from early explorers and romance novels adorned all forty-four panes of glass. The central HVAC column became a giant compass rose with illuminated figures on each side. Accompanied by additional elements—including paddles and crutches, and the four winds as electric fans—Quest found remarkable parallels between geographic and romantic quests, and entwined issues of race and gender.