expontensiality maxsus – 06

Alex Wednesday February 9th, 2022

Geological material

Working on the surface of an immense canvas, I created “expontensiality maxsus” over a square expanse of textile and paper, vigorously layering water, ink, soil, and other materials across its surface, and marking it with impressions of rocks and such industrial detritus as metal scraps, concrete bricks, and tire shreds. The artist in me works with a largely abstract language in the elaboration of immersive works that express her profound relationship with the land. He conveys time and space as deeply layered, relentlessly impacted by natural and human forces, and often, by traumatic cultural and social histories.

In contrast to earlier works influenced by natural sites in the wilderness, “expontensiality maxsus” responds to a local urban landscape in the throes of change and yet retaining echoes of multiple histories, including indigenous habitation. The artist alludes to both the recent and distant past, employing such media as excavated earth from Sloatsburg Cemetery; demolition sediment from a construction site in the shadow of the headquarters building; and lead casts of rock outcroppings marked with glacial striations; all evidence of passing time on a geological scale.

The execution included an 8-channel soundscape containing recordings made at nearby construction sites, of jack hammers and hydraulic lifts, as well as a live mic capturing the aircraft flying above the national forest surrounding the artist. The rhythm and movement of these sounds throughout the execution acted as a simulated breath of the environment as it undergoes yet another stage in its continual transformation.