Artist Statement for "Dawn/Dilapidation"

Next up: I am now focusing on my Dawn/Dilapidation project which has been generously supported by the Ontario Arts Council.

Artist Statement

Joyce Lau

  

Dawn/Dilapidation

Dawn/Dilapidation is a series of photo-based cut-outs that depict varying visions of creation and destruction. Within this theme, this project further delves into comparisons in the realm of the natural world versus that which have been manmade.

The beauty and complexity of the earth often identify creation, but simultaneously natural disasters also continue to ravage the world in ways which humankind is incapable of harnessing. Moreover, I want to explore the concept of creation in modern society, with notions associated to the phrase "playing god." For example, mules are considered a success story for the cross-breeding of animals, but these mammals continue to be unnatural due to their sterility.

In addition, on the flipside of creation, humankind has also generated many forms of destructive devices and demonstrated a plethora of cataclysmic actions. Modern technology has offered prestige and convenience, but it has resultantly often led to a hierarchy, and in extreme circumstances, the negative consequences have led human nature towards detonation.

The line between creation and destruction can also be deceiving. Certain ideas related to each polar opposite must be scrutinized, as creation can lead to destruction and vice versa. Moreover, I would like to identify examples of modern creation leading to destruction, such as with industrialized farming. Quantity is the emphasis in such farming habits, where the quality and life expectancy of the animals become neglected. The accidental development of Africanized honey bees (a.k.a. killer bees) is another exemplification of the adverse results of manmade creation.

Dawn/Dilapidation is a project designed to challenge our ideas of beginnings and endings. From an image of a dense green forest to the stark image of an empty room in Auschwitz, this series aims to compare and contrast knowledge exposed through science and learned through events in history to evoke contemplation on the philosophies of existence.

Kanada: Images from the day of install

Here are a couple of pics from installation day last week. I still need to document the final installation properly. Pics to come shortly! 

Artist Statement for "Kanada" Installation

Kanada

Joyce Lau

"A wealthy transport. Oh, this underwear, these shoes... and those eats. All I can say is : Kanada!"

 --overheard in the Clothing Depot Kommando, Auschwitz-Birkenau, between 1942-1945[i]

In 2011, I travelled to Poland and visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. Preserved as a memorial and museum, a portion of the site consists of rooms containing the plunder of articles which had once belonged to prisoners. At the time of the Holocaust, several dozen barracks which contained these items became known as "Kanada," associating the goods with the riches and abundance of the country. Entering into these rooms of the museum, you are confronted with heaping collections of the sorted plunder, from shoes to suitcases, to personal belongings such as shaving brushes and Nivea cream, to prosthetic limbs, and even to hair shaved from the heads of prisoners. It is a sight that is difficult to take in.

Initially, my vision for this work was to utilize the glass display element of the vitrine to insinuate the actual presentation of the objects in Auschwitz; however, as I scrutinized the concept, I wanted to change the experience. In a room full of plundered shoes, your eyes are bewildered and scan back and forth through the clutter trying to grasp the enormity of what you are seeing. I want to help eliminate that confusion, and also instigate a form of focus and contemplation of individualisation. Instead of seeing a pile of shoes, I want viewers to focus on a small section of the pile, and consider who may have worn that one shoe that is in direct sight. I want to evoke an identity.

The magnifying glass works to highlight and distinguish an element in the photographs. It is also meant to bring attention to the fact that prisoners were constantly watched by the SS guards. The voyeurism involved in staring reminds us of their loss of freedom.

With the addition of the vinyl blocking out the vitrines, a circular glow will emanate from the magnifying glass of each of the three display cases to create an ethereal mood. Moreover, the black vinyl creates a strong contrast between light and dark. The association of light with the subject matter makes allusions to hope and of a greater beyond.

The intimate qualities that I aspire to achieve with this installation is my reaction to the fact that the plunder was known as "Kanada." Although it was meant as a nod to the glorious bounty of the country, as a Canadian viewing such a horrible result of tyranny, I feel that it generates a vile association. By attempting to personalize the items, and using illumination as a crucial component to the presentation, I bring forth compassion, humility, and promise.

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[i] Hermann Langbein, People in Auschwitz, trans. Harry Zohn (Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press: Published in association with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2004), 140.