82 Reflections

Abstract

82 Reflections is a live streaming digital audio-visual experience shaped by and in response to deep social disruption caused by pandemic, ongoing demands for social justice, and the uncertainty, fear, and hope these concurrent tragedies elicit. 82 Reflections is a piece of Pandemic Art. To collect materials for this art the artist employed a socially distant documentation practice focused on the ongoing demand for an end to systemic racism and white supremacy in his community of downtown Dallas, Texas. Audio recordings, digital images, and digital video were collected between May and October 2020. The artist collected these materials in a socially distant manner due to his chronic lung conditions and risk for contracting covid19. The artist then constructed a small sculpture with household items and small reflective surfaces. Training a lo-fi webcam onto the sculpture, materials captured by live video web stream are glitched, reflected, and looped, as symbolic of complete disruption, uncertainty, and misunderstanding as a starting point for difficult transformation for social justice. Video projections reflecting from the sculpture create ambient lighting and patterns that symbolize the bringing down of barriers to change-making dialogue and action. They further signify that difficult dialogue has occurred and progress has been made, but more is needed to continue positive social justice action and sustainable change. Glitched, reflected, and looped audio of 82 recordings of protestors, law enforcement, the artist, and materials within the sculpture create instability, a necessary condition for meditation and reflection on difficult and transformational racial dialogue especially directed to White Americans. The work is situated within an emergent artistic movement, Pandemic Art, created in response to covid19 and social conditions. Pandemic Art is created through improvisation with readily available materials that are safe, practical, and feasible.