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| photo by Amruta Patil |
The
Broken Heart Repair Shop
Satellite
Art Fair, Miami Beach, 2018
Venice, CA 2018
@leiminspace, Los
Angeles, 2017
Savannah, GA,
2016
This body of work
is a metaphor for the process of healing a broken heart. Why don’t broken
heart repair shops exist? If they did exist, what would they look like?
What services would they offer? Could they really help? The installation,
The Broken Heart Repair Shop: Version 1: The Doctor’s Office,
offers the possibility of the existence of a place where one can go to heal a
broken heart.
In this environment, I explored the affective dimension of art in reference to sense memory in relation to space, visuals, and experience. It is an immersive and experiential environment meant to trigger associations and memory recall for the viewer. For some, the doctor’s office will recall positive memories of healing and health, while for others it will recall memories of pain and illness. In addition, the concept of a broken heart will have its own personal associations for the viewer, triggering memories that will be experienced on an emotional level.
The performance component consisted of an attending nurse at the doctor's office who consults with the patient about their broken heart. After the conversation the nurse issues a prescription to the patient. I was interested to see whether the performance would lead to an objectification of the role of nurse by any of the viewers. Instead, the viewers poured their hearts out, seemingly needing to be heard and comforted. There is a feeling of relief from the participants and gratitude for the gift of the prescription.
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| photo by David Durie |
