The Whole Is Greater | Installation Project
The focus of the project was to distribute the phrase, THE WHOLE IS GREATER, in as many contexts as possible. One hundred “kits” that included commercial grade vinyl lettering, and directions for installation, were prepared and given away over the course of a year. The circle was completed when participants took photos in their personal environments of the text cast as shadow.
Is a shadow a print?
Is a shadow a print?
My understanding of printmaking has expanded as I’ve explored the use of the sun, artificial light, glass, and vinyl lettering to cast shadows. At this point, it makes sense to me that shadows are a kind of print. The relationships that resonate the strongest are the plate, ink, limited editions, and collaboration.
The interruption on the glass that makes the shadow whether etched lines or vinyl lettering is like the print maker’s “plate.”
The light that makes the shadow acts as the “ink.”
Like prints, shadows can be reproduced as a limited edition, or designed as one-of-a-kind.
Printmaking often has a collaborative atmosphere with artists working side-by-side, sharing equipment, techniques, and lending each other a hand. It is also common for artists to seek out expert print makers, or a specific Printmaking Studio to help them realize their vision for the work.
In the production of the shadow projects, I depend on the expertise of artisans and technicians to fabricate and install the components. Because of their involvement from the beginning to end, collaborative relationships often form. I like the fact that I couldn’t do the work without them, and their input always makes the work stronger.
Of course the parallels between print and shadow break down when we point out that a printing press, other equipment, tools, and material are irrelevant when making a shadow.
Perhaps the most significant difference and the most compelling to me as an artist, is the fact that shadows are ephemeral. They exist, yet they have no measurable physical substance.