Mary Corey March
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Identity Tapestry

video is really the best way to see and understand this changing piece

(iteration created at OCCCA's "You First", 10/2011)

the basket was a new addition that I now cannot imagine the piece without
 

 

(following is the iteration created at BWAC's Wide Open2 show in Brooklyn, NY 3/2011)

 

The Action:


Each participant (visitor) chooses a color of yarn they feel represents them from the shelf to the left. No two colors are the same, and each ball of yarn holds a stone in the center.

They unravel it, wrapping statements on the wall that they feel show something about who they are...

 

The piece begins on the left with the shelf of yarn and progresses in a narrative through the statements.

 
Statements are loosely grouped by association in a narrative beginning with what many people find are the most basic identifiers (such as "I am a woman") and ending with conclusions about the state of one's life generally (such as "I am fortunate").

...they may choose to loop through every statement that applies to them, or only the few most essential to their identity.

 
As each person maps aspects of their identity they will leave a line- their mark on the drawing.  Complex portraits develop as simple statements are linked together. Anyone coming later will be able to trace other participants' paths. 
As more and more people add their lines, patterns emerge and a tapestry of human identity forms which is specific to the particular time, place, and people who created it.

When the participant has finished marking their statements (or they run out of string), they can set their stone on the ground or allow it to dangle from their last statement.

Some rolls of yarn may be more used up than others- some may have the stone exposed, some may be still covered, and a few may be left suspended- used up before they reach the ground.

Just as we all have differing amounts of life without initially knowing how much, the yarn is different lengths, some too short to finish..

Artist's reflections-

This iteration was interesting to me because it was not just a different venue with a different group of people, but a very different city with its own cultural identity and history. I noticed some things that I think were very definitely New York differences from San Francisco: all the statements taking pride and pleasure in education, learning, reading and intelligence were mobbed in this iteration. San Francisco is actually ahead of New York (top in the country) for the level of education per person, but the identity attitude about it is different, and it showed. Those statements were very full in San Francisco, but so were statements like "I love costumes", "I like to pretend" and "I am silly", which were left more bare in the Brooklyn iteration.

What really surprised me was the racial identity statements ("my racial identity affects my life every day" and "my racial identity is important to me") being so incredibly bare. I don't know whether that was a result of the demographics of the show attendees or of the identity of the region. Cultural identity was well marked though.

I love watching this piece unfold. I love overhearing the conversations. The thing I hear most was that it was hard, that confronting these aspects of oneself was a challenging exercise and taught people something. Good. That is one of the main purposes of this piece.

About the Materials:

This iteration of the installation included about 250 statement plaques, with several adjustments from the previous iterations. Statement layout is always different.

Statement plaques are made of laser-cut acrylic with a small paper label similar to the "hello my name is" labels and sprayed with a protective matte coating.

Statements were inspired by conversations with strangers, psychology profile tests, online profiles and many other things people use to identify themselves and others.

The artist personally dyed over 300 colors of yarn in addition to several existing colors so that each participant would have their own unique color.

A variety of different yarns were used, all single-ply natural fibers selected for a variety of texture and thickness, and for softness in the hand.

The installation measures 8-16 feet in length.
 
Past iterations:  
  Wide Open, BWAC Brooklyn, NY, (3/2011) *best installation award.
  Treasure Island Music Festival, San Francisco, CA.(9/20-21/2008)
  "Alchemy" show at Cellspace Gallery, San Francisco, CA.(4/26/2008)

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copyright 4/08 Mary Corey March