When It Rises

When It Rises is a space for the things in my life that inevitably face harm, regardless of continual, unraveling attempts to keep them protected. I explore my upbringing with flood preparation as it informs the intuitive procedures I've developed in welcoming destruction, as well as the comforting role that routine continues to play in my life when facing uncertainty. During a race with rising water, the only promising constant is a return to routine- conceal and raise. As time passes, these temporary solutions are perpetual and alive, futilely securing things together, ominously waiting for the next turn of events. The installation is an acknowledgment of the aspects of my life that I can no longer conceal nor protect as well as Iā€™d like to, as I empathize with the material things in my life facing exhaustion in their attempts to hold on after the water recedes. What remains is a collection of frgments has been pieced back together, weathered and weighted with time, protected yet vulnerable to forces out of their control.

When It Rises

paper, bungee cord, tarp, netting, ink, river water

Dimensions Variable

Lionel Rombach Gallery, Tucson, AZ, 2019

Photo Documentation: Bella Varela