Sara McKarney
The Main Gallery . March 10- April 15th, 2016
Opening Reception: Thursday, March 10, from 7 pm – 10 pm
Harcourt House Artist Run Centre, 3rd floor, 10215 – 112 St, Edmonton
Each bed linen photograph initially appears to be quite commonplace and indistinct. However, when viewed en masse, the intricacies of each individual night’s movements become visible. The traces of the absent body can be seen within each set of sheets, a topographical connection to the absent person. The strict limitation placed upon both the perspective and content of each image allows the sheets to resemble more than just a mere representation of a bed; the folding of the fabric will also evoke the peaks and valleys of a landscape.. At the same time, the positioning of elements like the pillows affords the opportunity to read these objects as individual characters, interacting with one another, with personalities of their own. Thus, the bed has been used as a vehicle to explore the phenomenological associations McKarney gives to objects, in particular, those objects that she invests with connection to concept of ‘home’. The empty bed with sheets pulled back feels cold and the traces of movement point to the absence of the body. The phenomenological idea of melancholy associated with the object becomes a way of dealing with our own feelings of melancholy, loss and longing.
