Michelle Jaffé "Wappen Field"
BOSI Contemporary
This event has ended.
BOSI Contemporary presents Wappen Field, the solo exhibition of New York based artist Michelle Jaffé. In her upcoming project, Jaffé will present a large-scale participatory installation and a series of sculptures, both of which explore the use of armor to mask and shelter the body from interference. Reflecting on the theory of the collective unconscious and mythological truths, Jaffé utilizes a minimalist aesthetic to create work that uniquely questions the interplay between archetypes in socio-cultural structures.
The exhibition title Wappen Field refers to the inaugural New York presentation of Jaffé’s sculpture, sound and light installation. The term Wappen is German for Coat of Arms, a visual symbol of heraldic identification in the Middle Ages. The installation is comprised of12 chrome-plated steel helmets, resembling face guards suspended from the ceiling. The height of the helmets and the emblem generated from the shadowed lighting on the gallery floor imply the existence of human forms. This is the space that the viewer is meant to occupy in order to fully experience the work. Composed by Ayelet Rose Gottlieb, then reconstructed and manipulated by Jaffé, each Helmet contains a speaker that produces an assortment of male and female vocal sounds. Jaffé later worked with programmer David Reeder on a Super Collider- an algorithmic programming language, to disperse the voices throughout individual helmets, creating dissonance, rhythms and vortexes of sound.
Whereas artists such as Judith Shea and Louise Bourgeoishave used clothing to suggest shelter and psychological repair, Jaffé is independent in her use of sound and aesthetic. By allowing the viewer to place him or herself within the helmet and obstructing their field of vision, Jaffé emphasizes sound as the essential element for interpretation.
Media
Schedule
from July 08, 2012 to August 05, 2012
Opening Reception on 2012-07-12 from 18:00 to 21:00