Title | Connect the Dots |
Artist / Creator | Adele Crawford |
Place of Publication | Oakland, California |
Publication Date | 2004 |
Subject | Arizona, Grand Canyon |
Medium / Materials | Found Victorian album, found photographs, beads, thread |
Dimensions (WxHxD) | Closed: 8.5 x 10.5 x 2 inches. Open: 17 x 10.5 x 2 inches. |
Edition Size | Unique |
Signed & Numbered | Yes |
Connect the Dots by Adele Crawford -SOLD!
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The hand colored photographs of the Grand Canyon which comprise the foundation of Connect the Dots show a pristine environment; no skywalks, no footprints, no human touch. After finding these photographs I read of the challenges facing the Grand Canyon National Park, including stresses from the millions of visitors annually, the air and sound pollution, climate-change impacts and threats of possible mining development near the park. I was trying to understand the relationship between this unique environment and the impact that civilization was having on the land. By sewing the beads onto the photographs I altered this virtual landscape without adverse impact on the actual landscape. The thread and beads express the tension between our love of the earth, and our adverse impact on it. They also communicate my respect and love of the land, my passion and compassion for a beautiful, magical place that I hope can survive, even thrive, for another 70 millions years.
Artist Bio
Adele is a passionate collector and interpreter of ephemera, attracted to the photograph and all memorabilia especially with a patina. Wanting to honor societies throwaways she often rescues abandoned photographs from estate sales and family photo albums. Neatly compressed into the paper of a simple photo or object she sees a story and the power of evocation. She approaches these discoveries as interpretations of real moments, whether it is a Victorian photo album, her grandmother’s button collection or an empty box.
She activates stories through her process of dissection/alteration/reconfiguration. As a reconstructive caretaker, she manipulates these images into new fabricated histories.
The reinvention from old to new – motivates her work, questioning concepts of society and self. Through exploration and as a response to her accumulation she layers disparate histories together in order to set new ones in motion.