Paula Hayes "Land Mind 2010-12"
Lever House
This event has ended.
Paula Hayes's installation "LAND MIND" creates an environment that exists at the intersection of landscape and the imagination. She has designed a magical atmosphere that combines lush tropical trees and foliage in unique planters; a huge, biomorphic shaped "Aquarium" that contains colorful saltwater fish and invertebrates in a coral reef environment; and a wall-mounted cocoon that encases fifteen-feet of juicy succulents. Hayes has made an aquatic garden and a living work of art that intimately connects people with nature, and illustrates her belief that, "In my mind, the rigor of creating the planting vehicles strengthens the message that the interior landscape is to be taken very seriously and cared for with precision. This is my ultimate goal."
The various components of the installation are inter-related on a number of levels and suggest numerous interpretations. The saltwater aquarium supports both animal and plant life and is designed to maintain a balanced ecosystem, while simultaneously the full-spectrum lighting and automated filtering system sustain the ongoing life process. The watering of potted plants and the feeding of the fish require a human intervention and refer to Hayes concerns about nurturing, caring, and growth, relating to both natural and human circumstances. Conversely, the succulents housed in "Slug" are plants with fleshy leaves that are adapted to storing water. As Hayes states: "Living art literally involves the attentive and continuous role of participants and caretakers in all aspects of the continuum of its manifestation and life; this reality is at its corea core that is performed by humans along any point in the spectrum of gender. It is essential that there be an internal, collaborative maintenance of the life of the work so that it can exist as an artwork. Binary systems (such as owner/object) become irrelevant, while interrelatedness and continuously active and attentive devotion become essential."
Media
Schedule
from November 03, 2011 to January 27, 2012