A Frayed Nott, 2000
Repurposed barn wood, grape vines, feathers, steel bucket, motorized dripping water and recorded pigeons audio, 108" x 144" room
Six artists were invited to develop projects that investigated the history of the Nott Memorial which is home to the Mandeville Art Gallery at Union College. Ornate and grand, an all but gaudy example of high Victorian Gothic design, the building tends to overpower physical attempts to compete for a viewer's attention. I chose to offer a contrast to the distinctive ornament that presents itself today – one that depicted the struggle that consumed the Nott for most of the 20th century. As one architect wrote in 1973, "the Nott almost succumbed to indifference and abuse, the rafters infested with pigeons, the ceiling leaking, its walls choked with vines, the building was nearly lost".
The Day is Short, the Work is Great: Installations in the Nott | Mandeville Gallery | Union College | Schenectady, NY | July 13 – August 20, 2000
