NYAB Event - Lawrence F. Mesich "At Work"

Lawrence F. Mesich "At Work"

AC Institute

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At Work investigates the specific relationship between the interstitial spaces of institutional interiors –lobbies, waiting areas, and hallways – and the routines of the people employed to inhabit them. The piece consists of video monitors mounted in enclosures that mimic the infrastructure of spaces they inhabit. The spaces depicted in the videos are at once foreign and familiar, reminding us of many different spaces while remaining essentially unplaceable. The behaviors depicted, the repetitive and unconscious actions that occur in the ‘down time’ of a work day, are similarly familiar and alienating. The repetition of these familiar architectural tropes and physical gestures creates a zone of liminal discomfort; the normally ignorable or invisible spaces and gestures are given explicit focus. Simultaneously, the monitor enclosures reemphasize the invisibleness and mundanity of those spaces and gestures. This tension implicates the viewer, asking them to reevaluate the spaces they inhabit and the behaviors those spaces help engender.

Lawrence Mesich's media work explores the political and social ramifications of intersections between bodies, the built environment, and unconscious human behaviour. Most recently, he has created videos and installations that document his often eccentric relationships to institutional interiors. His work has been shown in several US cities including Chicago and New York, and his performances have occurred in public spaces throughout the US, much to the delight, outrage and bewilderment of passers-by.

Lawrence was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His fascination with and exploration of the spaces created by the city's rapid development and abandoned industrial infrastructure continue to inform his work.