Studios > Caroline Mak
Caroline Mak
By performing and enacting a series of repetitive transformative actions – whether it is painstakingly braiding and knotting length of tubing, or tearing and gnawing through slabs of foam – through the physicality of my actions, I bestow upon the material an ability to further decay, multiply or spread beyond its original confines. The systems that emerge in my installations contain references to disciplines ranging from topography, biology and the decorative arts.
I intend to transform the studio into an imaginary geological landscape and living ‘map’, where materials slowly accumulate forming
compressed layers - yet also erode - over the duration of the residency. The residency will allow me to utilize the studio as a site for the creation of an on-going, dynamic installation that functions as a record of both my time and process during this set time period.
Only materials ‘local’ to the area will be utilized – these will slowly sediment and accumulate, forming a sculptural and material map of my practice, as well a record of scavenged and discarded materials that can be found in and around the neighborhood that Gallery Aferro is located. Rather than using the studio as a trash receptacle however, the space will be ever shifting, referencing actual geological systems (albeit one where the timeframe has been condensed).
And like all geological systems, with accumulation of layers, comes the necessary erosion and removal of sediment. This can be through an act such as trading materials with other artists, or exchange with the local community. In order to keep the system a closed one, all proceeds from the sale or trade of materials will be returned to the installation in the studio. I hope to create a fantastical world that intermittently utilizes scientific principles, yet is also a very personal material diary of the residency, the neighborhood, and of my own process. This residency will allow me to work towards my most ambitious and large scale installation yet, hopefully incorporating elements of performance and public interaction, pushing my practice in more critically challenging directions.
