“Preserve the character of our village ..”
This installation is based on a seemingly idyllic image of the elm canopy which shaded the block where I lived for 17 years in Oak Park, Illinois. In the gallery the continuity of this canopy is interrupted by illuminated strips (generated from still photographs) that depict the loss of a single magnificent elm protecting the south side of our home. As the canopy image wraps around the wall, its fragmentation is intensified and the illuminated strips multiply to include sequences of video stills. These represent shifting configurations of family/personal relationships in my life over the last 15 years. The final sequence (stump photographs) repeats and extends this experience of loss and change.
The accompanying poster text raises a more critical perspective on the phenomenon of elm loss. It interweaves passages from Oak Park newspapers (1935-1997) to reveal a conflation of community concerns: the struggle to preserve elegant elm-shaded streets linked to fears of urban blight, i.e. racial and social change.
Rothschild Gallery Installation
Esther Parada at the Art Institute of Chicago: www.artic.edu
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