Surveying Desire XII: Fictions

This work explored the apparatus of longing through elements of scale which were derived from the physical layout of the gallery. The tall space at the front was occupied by a ten-foot observation tower from which one espied small objects of fate and desire that were mounted on a panel floating high above the floor. The lower space in the rear of the gallery was ringed with giant fragments of romance novel texts and hugely scaled items of fortune. The “fictions” of the title referred not only to the included personal ads, horoscopes, and romance texts, but to the stories the culture creates and those we tell ourselves about being alone. The overall effect was reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland, and experiencing dislocations through scale paralleled the dislocation of isolation. At the same time, the expectant telephones, the romance texts, and giant objects exuded a poignant hopefulness.