This is a collaborative installation which explores the intersection of the expansive and the particular. Working together as family members and as creative people in a community has been an exciting adventure for us. Each part has influenced the others. As you discover this world of awkward loveliness, sound and place, feel free to pick up and interact with its inhabitants. One of them is you!
Anda Saylor
These creatures come from an exploration of the paradoxical quality of humanity and a sincere longing to maintain the awareness of love underneath the constant fluctuations of life. These monsters are meant to be both endearing and repulsive, full of imperfections and peculiarities. Within each creature is a Yogic teaching. Each creature has been subtly influenced by the teaching contained within them and their meaning in my life. They are made of velour, polyfil, yarn and beads. Through this joyful, labor intensive process, I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time getting to know these guys. My intention is for the viewer/participant to have a moment of pause, in which to turn a gentle eye towards their own humanity.
Ben Saylor
This sound installation is composed of recorded natural environmental sounds, acoustic instruments, and computer generated and programmed sound. Through mixing parts of older compositions with new sounds, Ben explored and recycled the connection between place, memory and sound. Inspired by the subtle complexity of wildness of natural sounds, Ben has created a sound-scape with a sense of humor, with many details to discover. It explores the way we use sound to perceive and record our environment. The sound is spread out over eight track/ speakers attached to the ceiling, which come together into a living composition.
Brian Saylor
The creatures live together on a group of islands which had to balance their strange and oddly real characteristics. Their living environment needed to be both practical and whimsical, like the creatures themselves. The project started with two peaks reminiscent of Gunsight Mountain, a favorite of Anda's which has appeared in every collaborative project we have done in which mountains were required. The remaining "geological" areas were developed to meet the needs of the creatures that live there. The environments are painted paper mache on a wood and cardboard foundation.
Pam McDowell Saylor
The Claw visited Ireland and France during the summer of 2009, but the others were born during the winter and they were itching to get outside into nature and the neighborhood. Anda and I ventured out into the world with them. I found that one knew what he or she wanted to do and where they wanted to go. As a family, it was clear that they wished to make the journey of "the committed position." I took great joy in discovering the world with them and recording it in photographs.
Special thanks to:
Thank you to each other, Kassi Gruder, YAAC,Firefly, Kayla Spaan, Nina Steir, Jessaca Lee, Katie Alley, Tasia Jelatis-Hoke, Kevin Bennet, Ken Osterkamp, the cardboard guy, Firefly Gallery, Jana Latham, Jeff Aldrich, Ezra Gibson, Mary Hertert and Susan LaGrande for dyes, Daniel Naranjo, Sean Finnerty, Snow City Cafe et al, Anchorage Community Theater, Jesse and Joanne Collens, Jsun, Saro Hinson, Allison Warden and Athena and Tanah Swinford.
