Contemporary Journey 1 96″ x 96″ and Contemporary Journey 2, 96″ x 96″, both inkjet on aluminum, will hang side by side in the main ticketing lobby.
While I wanted to establish these pieces clearly within the journey metaphor, I also wanted to create an intentionally ambiguous narrative which would allow the viewer to bring his or her thoughts, stories and interpretations to the pieces. What are the figures in the piece doing? Are they leaving or arriving? Are there second thoughts about a destination or departure, or is there great dream-like hope? Are the pieces tense or uplifting? I am asking the viewer to consider what hopes and/or anxieties we bring to any journey, physical or psychic, and what our relationship is to those thoughts and emotions.
I wanted these pieces to be contemporary as well as a homage to vintage graphic posters. The use of black, white, pink and gold as the primary colors links both time periods and styles, as does the simplicity of the pieces, but with the playfulness and ambiguity for which my work is known.
The components for this piece include photos of people I have posed, photographs of suitcases, actual airplanes photographed on runways, and astronomy illustrations and weathered paper and paint.
The writing on the foreground suitcase is from the Jungian psychologist James Hollis. The writing on the plane is found graffiti, the Tao, and an old letter to home found at an antique store.