Drawing on the archive


Within Drawing on the Archive I have utilized my personal literary archive to produce a series of pen and ink drawings that visually interpret the text. This unique relationship between author and reader repurposes the ink used for text and transformsthe passages into hyperbolized images. The 32 drawings, all depicting images of woman, create a new archive, a visual archive, commenting on both the female form and function within literature.   
 I have built tables facing the drawings and on them placed the pages of text that inspired the image.  This physical space establishes both a conceptual and actual distance between the drawings and the text- questioning the neutrality of exchange.
 Hand built and modified furniture is placed within the gallery to accommodate the reader.  These objects have been created through apprenticeships and the gathering of knowledge from local carpenters, upholsterers, and wood turners.  This seating stresses a physical proximity that parallels the same issue of distance that the drawings and text address. Located centrally within the gallery is an interactive piece that leads the participant through the same process I took when translating text to image.  This mimicking  of actions allow for additional interpretations of texts.  Drawing on the Archive investigates the flexibility of language, objectivity and immediacy within exchange.