Field/Ground explores identity through memory and sense of place defined as existing “somewhere between the inside and outside views...” (Lucy Lippard, Lure of the Local). The experience of identity and sense of place manifests through combinations of personal and collective memory and the ability to navigate the two. Personal memory describes the emotional process of retaining events while cultivating identity. Collective memory is created and shared by a group or culture forming collective identity. The juxtaposition of personal and collective memories offers multiple layered meaning that changes from moment to moment, creating a fluid landscape.

Mixed-media imagery reflects both intimate and distant views of personal memory, which informs identity. The imagery suspends horizontally within a floating grid, which reflects onto graphite resin pools contained in maple boxes. The containers placed on the floor mirror the hovering grid formation. A distance between the two structures simulates fleeting and distorted memories. The installation also emulates landscape, which appears in many forms throughout their individual art making.

Text written in collaboration by Sandy Lane and Jennifer Pettus