Sotol Flower, Cement, Hacienda de Chihuahua Bottle
28" x 4" x 36"
In order to make this piece, I had to take the only beautiful thing from a place – a precious blossom from a Sotol plant. I was reluctant to this at first, but was coaxed into doing what I didn’t want to do – rape the scenery of its beauty. The Sotol blossom was placed into an empty bottle of Mexican liquor that is made from the Sotol plant, liquor similar to tequila or mescal. Mortar was poured into the bottle to both keep the blossom up right, and to preserve the lively color. “For Your Pleasure” takes something beautiful that is destroyed in order to gain profit or pleasure.
Performed by Connor Walden
Performed in Seattle, WA on December 7
Painted wood, yarn, prayer shawl, microphone stand, microphone, cords, speaker, video camera, tripod, chairs, and black tape
Installation of set after performance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=206&v=TnHNsxIT51s
One string
Site-specific Installation
Relic (gold and clay) and damp box
12” x 12” x 12”
For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Packaging materials, shipping labels, and relic
Installation
“Relic En Route” is a test of faith. Trust is the foundation of the handling of this relic from the dig site to the museum floor back to the dig site. Preservation is the key to maintaining the wonder and spirit of the relic, as it is alive through moisture alone. The installation consists of the relic from a past work “C’est Une Relique” being carefully packaged into a cardboard box, ready for shipping. The box has packaging tape branded with the Divinitive Logistics Solutions logo, a company that specializes in saving people money through redemptive programs. The box has a shipping label to be sent to a religious materials distribution company in the Netherlands. It may seem we are not handling the box with utmost care, but trust me, we are.
Performed by Connor Walden
Performed in Port Lavaca, Texas on May 14th
Performed by Kyle and Connor Walden
Performed in Austin, Texas on February 21st
There is a belief held by some that Christians supersede the Jews as God’s Chosen People. Some have taken this belief even further – that America is the new Promised Land. The stripes represent the 13 original tribes of Israel, which were superseded by the 13 original colonies. The cross on the flag represents the Christian Nation that concurs with the USA. The dirt is the conquest of the Promised Land of America, similar to the conquest of Israel by the Israelites. The ensemble questions Manifest Destiny and whether its existence is ending, continuing, or only just begun.
Pomegranate and chef's knife
Installation
This work came from my ephemeral solo show entitled “Fresh Rimon (Pomegranates)”. Pomegranates are a Hebraic symbol for righteousness because the pomegranate is fabled to hold 613 seeds, the same number of laws a Jewish person must follow in order to seek righteousness.
Imagine living in the Garden of Eden and living a perfect and happy life with one condition: not eating the forbidden fruit, which happens to be a pomegranate. One day you find yourself eating the forbidden fruit. After eating the pomegranate, you get frustrated. What questions pop into your head? Who made you hungry? Was it God? Was it the serpent? Why do you feel this way now?
GIF
This work came from my ephemeral solo show entitled “Fresh Rimon (Pomegranates)”. Pomegranates are a Hebraic symbol for righteousness because the pomegranate is fabled to hold 613 seeds, the same number of laws a Jewish person must follow in order to seek righteousness.
As I try to hold onto more seeds, others fall out. It’s a cyclical pattern of striving and then failing.
Pomegranate seeds, two nails, and wool yarn
7" x 14" x 5"
This work came from my ephemeral solo show entitled “Fresh Rimon (Pomegranates)”. Pomegranates are a Hebraic symbol for righteousness because the pomegranate is fabled to hold 613 seeds, the same number of laws a Jewish person must follow in order to seek righteousness.
“Once there was a gentile who came before Shammai, and said to him: ‘Convert me on the condition that you teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot.’ Shammai pushed him aside with the measuring stick he was holding. The same fellow came before Hillel, and Hillel converted him, saying: That which is despicable to you, do not do to your fellow, this is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary, go and learn it.’”
- Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Flag, flagpole, and dirt
2' x 2' x 8'
There is a belief held by some that Christians supersede the Jews as God’s Chosen People. Some have taken this belief even further – that America is the new Promised Land. The stripes represent the 13 original tribes of Israel, which were superseded by the 13 original colonies. The cross on the flag represents the Christian Nation that concurs with the USA. The dirt is the conquest of the Promised Land of America, similar to the conquest of Israel by the Israelites. The ensemble questions Manifest Destiny and whether its existence is ending, continuing, or only just begun.
Granite, parchment and ink, and display case
60" x 28" x 42"
Gold, cedar, and prayer kneeler
Installation
A semi-automatic rifle covered in 24-carat gold leaf sits high upon a cedar mantle. When Moses went up on Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, Aaron was left below with all the disgruntled Jews after their escape from Egypt. The impatient Jewish people approached Aaron and asked him to make them a God to worship because Moses’ God must not exist. Aaron told everyone to give him all of their gold, and in return he created a Golden Gun for them to worship and seek protection. Does this idol provide a false sense of protection for those who kneel to it in prayer?
Easter eggs, Laffy Taffy, raisins, jelly, clothes, and purple paint
Installation
Collaboration with Gracelee Lawrence, Kendall Bradley, and Connor Walden
Purple is the worst color to paint your kitchen due to its unappetizing appeal. Purple represents grape jelly, even though grapes are red and green. Purple ketchup, why was that ever a thing. Men and women wear purple, yet the color on clothing has been socialized into a feminine color. “Don't Make That Purple” is a ballad of the mis-placed and the mis-assigned, available for sale by the pound.
Wood, light, sound
Installation
As you walk in, you see the blue light on the opposite end of the room with red light coming from above. You also notice that there is the sound of AK 47s going off right above you on the red side. As you look up to see where the sound is coming from, you notice there are holes with light in the false ceiling. While looking, you notice that the lights only exist when you stand directly under it. As you move towards the blue side of the room, you see new lights appear. From the blue side of the room you notice that the gunfire has been replaced by the sound of keyboard typing. As you continue to explore the space, you find yourself walking back and forth below the false ceiling, going between the red and the blue, the gunfire and the typing.
Constellations have been used for navigation and for entertainment. The difference in function comes from the need to leave a place physically or the need to leave a place mentally. This piece is inspired by the Syrian refugee crisis and what it means to be on the west and seeing the happenings in Syria all through a computer screen. The constellations presented in this piece are the constellations seen in the northern hemisphere both from Austin, Texas and Aleppo, Syria.
Vinyl and video
Installation
In collaboration with Vivy Phan and Connor Frew
"Effulgence" is brightness taken to the extreme. You may be dazzled by it, stunned by it, or even overcome by it. We cannot physically create something effulgent – in order to do that we would need to create a star or another sun. Instead, we created a space that can only be described ambiguously through words on the walls to reference its creation above the clouds. A video of us walking up and down the ladder lives in the space in order to show us going up above the clouds to work on the effulgent structure.
Artificial grass, actors
Performed in Austin, Texas
Collaboration with Hannah Burnbaum, Kayla Owens, Ann Yin, Courtney Bruce, Connor Frew, and Connor Walden
Kiddie Pool, Child's Lifejacket, Bubbles
96" x 60" x 24"
Letting a child go swimming can be terrifying for parents. The parent can only do so much for the child, which includes advice, an emergency contact, and a life jacket. But what happens when a parent is beyond a fence and has to watch his/her child play a game to see how long he/she can hold his/her breath? To the parents chagrin, they have to trust their children even when they put themselves in precarious situations.
Gold, mortar and pestle, vials and nard oil
Installation
The installation is in the back of a room, framed by a Persian rug. The woman creates nard oil by crushing spikenard root into smaller pieces with the mortar and pestle, heating up the oil, and then distributing them into glass vials. The performance occurs throughout the exhibition so people can watch her making oil in a time-loop fashion.
The performance expands as the woman asks people to participate by allowing the woman to bless the participant with the nard oil. She then gifts the person with oil by saying a prayer in Farsi, and then calls the participant to make peace in the world by giving the participant a vial of nard oil.
Video
00:05:56
Vials, nard oil, text, and packing materials
Installation
Here at Divinitive Logistics Solutions, we pride ourselves in being the #1 supplier of materials sent from above to major religions. As your religion grows and expands across man-made lines, elect Divinitive as your divine solution to get religious goods to every corner of the world. All of our goods are hand-made with love, and our well-paid, full-time clergy members bless them as they are packaged and sent out the door. We ask that you prayerfully consider us to be your religious supplier as we recognize that there are many distributors in the world to choose. And we thank you for selecting us as your sacred source of true merchandise.
Choreography by Kenzie Betz
Performed by Kenzie Betz and Taylor Schmuelgen
Directed by Connor Walden
Performed in Austin, Texas on December 7th
There is an ebb and flow that exists in our identity formation; to be different or to be similar to our siblings, families, and society. “We are more alike my friends than we are unalike” – Maya Angelou
Snowballs, conference table, and video
30" x 60" x 50"
Snowballs sit in parade formation while watching a screen that seems morbid, lamenting, and hungry. All the while, they are melting, shivering.
We are intelligent snowballs
Aware of our imminent sublimation
Regimented by our fears
We hunger for justice
Yet thirst for sustenance
In order to prolong
Our heritage of ephemeral solidification
Wood and Vinyl
Installation
A space that transcends religion, “Meditative Space” allows a person of any spirituality or faith retreat from this world into a new space. The labyrinth is a pathway that is designed to guide a person away from the outside world into their hearts for introspection, in hopes that the person would leave with something they received from inside. The rods levitate in a space where shadows are dispersed, encoding words that inspire implicit peace.
4 Rods in the corners
IPRAYTHATY
OURHEARTWI
LLBEFLOODE
DWITHLIGHT
6 Rods in the center
INTHEBEGIN
NINGWASTHE
WORDANDTHE
WORDWASWIT
HGODANDTHE
WORDWASGOD
Wood, Steel, and One String
7" x 7" x 14"
The bar of steel in the middle of the piece has a barcode engraved in it, which reads “LIFE”. This bar is suspended in the center of the frame by one string. The piece represents the fragility of life.
Acrylic Paint on Handmade Canvas
12" x 12"
I have been told that I use paint, but I am not a painter. I would say this is true for my art; I use materials but I am not a materialist. I am more curator than technician. This is a portrait of the beautiful union of my two friends, Ryan and Katie.
Wood and Corrugated Metal
6' x 6' x 7'
Installed in Allen, Texas from 2013-2015, “LIFE II” is a structure that creates the real artwork, a shadow. Around Passover every year, the structure will create the word “LIFE” twice in one day.