Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Year long display of West Collects 2012


The West Prize exhibition is about to open in Oaks, PA for the year long display of the West Collects 2012 recipients.
http://www.westcollection.org/West_Collection/WC_2012.html
Here is a photo of my piece installed yesterday by the staff of
 the West Collection and I. This installation is now owned by The West Collection. Thanks to everyone who helped make this acquisition happen especially the people who helped exhibit this piece in installations around the country.


“There You Remain in the Drain of the Mainframe Food Chain” 8 x 8 x 8 feet, pipe cleaners, 2008-2011. Don Porcella

"There You Remain in the Drain of the Mainframe Food Chain" is an installation that is made out of woven pipe cleaners using a hand made process devised by the artist. The scene is of a swimming hole with two swimmers, half their bodies in the water, in a remote, rural setting. The two swimmers seem relatively happy but apprehensive about their experience in the swimming hole. They seem to know that something is about to happen.

Above the swimmers is a turkey vulture that is about to prey on them. "There You Remain in the Drain of the Mainframe Food Chain" represents a cycle or food chain. The swimmers and all the items around the swimming hole are equal members of this chain. They are all members of the same environment and they will all be eaten and returned to the earth as nourishment for other organisms to grow.

In addition to the swimmers, swimming hole and turkey vulture there are items that the swimmers have brought along with them on their nature adventure. A boom box (stereo cassette player/radio), a pair of New Balance athletic shoes, a pair of flip-flops, two Sudz beer cans all rest haphazardly in and around the swimming hole. These items are meant to symbolize our own absurd carbon footprint. Conversely, there are two rats, bees, a parakeet and a dragonfly in addition to the rocks and tree stumps that round out the natural setting. Both the unnatural and natural are forced to co-habitate the same space.

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