lumberjack azeltine valentine, 2009

The Portland Building Installation Space

Portland, OR
15 feet x 15 feet x 5 feet

Commissioned by the Regional Arts and Cultural Counsel of Portland, Or. This work occupied the public gallery space of the Portland Building.

In this piece I had already committed to a general format for the install with the caveat that it would evolve from certain prescribed variables. One of these variables was a giant dog kennel I had subverted through carving/drilling holes through it. This form was then projected through with light and traced onto the wall with various types of tape. The remainder of the choices in this installation evolved in response to this initial choice.

When approaching understanding something I can frequently get lost in labels. A dog kennel is more than a vessel to contain an animal. It is plastic, off-white in color and has certain material integrity that can be manipulated. In this case manipulated to its absolutely weakest point and then used as a template to create the imagery on the walls. This imagery defined by tape becomes color and movement in the space. I am interested in questioning labels. We all have them. Poetically, this was conveyed through the very abstract title. My adoptive last name translates loosely to Lumberjack, Azeltine is my birth surname and this was a valentine to uncertainty.