Christopher L. Williams & J. J. McCracken

January 2007

Carniceria

Using space as sculptural material, Christopher L. Williams’ work creates relationships between objects, ideas and environments. In his installation Carnicería, Williams fuses the history of the space with its contemporary reality through the use of text, sculptures, and architectural adaptations. The installation incorporates three lines of text that are repeated, spliced, intertwined, and physically expanded. The first line of text deals with one literal history of the building as a Carniceria (Butcher Shop) and how Latino-American labor functions and is taken advantage of in the contemporary marketplace. The text is taken from a collection of essays from the Center for Latin-American Studies, Harvard University,

“Living in America begins to alter one’s understanding of oneself and others.”

The next element accentuated is the current use of the building as a fine art gallery. Artists’ labor and output can be manipulated and misused in the commercial art world, the appropriated text used to amplify this idea is from a project done for the Tate by Neil Cummings and Marysia Lewandowska,

“…ensuring the health and stability of a network of interconnected relationships…”

The final characteristic to be highlighted is the gallery’s location within the vibrant gay community of Dupont Circle. Much of the culture, life and rejuvenation of the area is supported by this community, but many would like to exclude them from basic rights afforded to other Americans. The final text is appropriated from the Defense of Marriage Act

“…no state must accept another state’s definition…”

STASIS

J.J McCracken is investigating preservation through a series of performances. The series offers a way forward for the artist, who grapples with issues surrounding hospice and the deterioration of memory over time. The performance venue ascribes to maker and the process of generating and preserving form the same importance as the resulting "art object"—an importance underscored by the use of a "live" material in constant flux. In its tangible and active form, each performance exploits cyclical repetition and offers a visual diary that reflects an ongoing inquiry.