Decisions, An Installation

(Click on images to enlarge.)

I created a sculptural installation called Decisions in the spring of 2008. It was displayed at Gallery 80808/Vista Studios, 808 Lady Street, in the downtown arts district of Columbia, South Carolina for the annual "Artista Vista" weekend. From the beginning, I intended this two part unit to be the focal point of a larger, solo exhibition called "PERSONAL GROUNDS".


My brief statement is: "Personal Grounds is a location in life. It is the place in which one exists as a result of doors opened, keys turned, and options exercised."

I used four, old solid wooden doors with peeling paint and lots of aging. To them, I attached hundreds of keys. Some were framed; some were not framed; some were labeled; some were not labeled.

I also wrapped thousands of old, rusty nails. Nails are like decisions....often bittersweet. Nails are symbols for Christ's crucifixion...sacrifice. They represent precision...."Hit the nail on the head". They represent unity...absolutely fundamental in construction; but, if one is "NAILED", it is often a "negative" implication. Nails are among my favorite symbols. Wrapping them took weeks but was a labor of love...another "bittersweet" expression.

Above, a Key to Promise on one of the doors. Below, some of the hundreds of tagged, old keys waiting to go on the installation.

Above and below are two of the framed but unlabeled keys. Often there are decision to make, options to excerise, and doors to open that have unknown consequences. We don't always know what will happen when we make a decision or walk down one of life's paths.