Crossing, 2019
birch, brass, oil, stainless steel, polycarbonate sheet
In 2017, I went to Geneva, Switzerland. Clouds hung low, hiding the mountain peaks that surround the city. We took a bus into the hills and walked up. Some time in, looking back, we realized that we'd crossed the border into France. These was nothing to mark it but an empty kiosk. I felt unexpectedly euphoric: a crossing without the ritual of crossing! A national border - meaningful, but meaningless.
The experience stood in stark contrast to that of crossing the US border in 2017. It was (and remains) a time of divisive politics, the US president focused on constructing an ever taller "border wall."
What purpose do national borders serve? Do they keep us safe? Or do they simply isolate us from those with whom we share the world?
Crossing is inspired by an internet conversation sparked by the US border wall: a series of memes showing ways to cross. The birch ladders were built in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. The installation was first exhibited at The Ark, Wood Point Art Project's inaugural event curated by artist John Haney: In July, 2019, 22 artists presented site-specific work in fields, forests, and a wood shed alongside the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada.
The experience stood in stark contrast to that of crossing the US border in 2017. It was (and remains) a time of divisive politics, the US president focused on constructing an ever taller "border wall."
What purpose do national borders serve? Do they keep us safe? Or do they simply isolate us from those with whom we share the world?
Crossing is inspired by an internet conversation sparked by the US border wall: a series of memes showing ways to cross. The birch ladders were built in Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY. The installation was first exhibited at The Ark, Wood Point Art Project's inaugural event curated by artist John Haney: In July, 2019, 22 artists presented site-specific work in fields, forests, and a wood shed alongside the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick, Canada.