Shrill Relish and Other Stories by Amy Fleming is a curious collection of abandoned objects March 03 2015
On view: March 7-April 11, 2015
Opening reception: Saturday, March 7, 4-7pm
Arts on Douglas announces the opening of a new alt_space exhibition: Shrill Relish and Other Stories by Amy Fleming. The exhibition consists of miniature dioramas and 3D assemblages constructed from discarded objects. The exhibition will be on view March 7 through April11, 2015. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, March 7, 4-7pm. In conjunction with the New Smyrna Beach Downtown Music Festival, Arts on Douglas will feature live music from jazz saxophonist, Pat D’Aguanno during the opening reception.
Prior to her career as an artist, Amy Fleming entertained the idea of becoming an archeologist. “I’m interested in the past and the ways in which human histories are interpreted from the objects left behind. I used to make drawings of junkyards, which progressed to texture rubbings from discarded objects and combining them with prints to create collages. Later, I became increasingly interested in working with the objects themselves more so than their impressions” Fleming stated.
Like an archeologist, Fleming aims to (re)member the past from the scrap metals, broken appliances, damaged toys, animal bones, and other detritus she salvages from dump sites and hunting camps near her home. These rescued artifacts are then used to convey a sense of how the past can only be partially accessed. Fleming’s work reminds us that while we can access the past through stories, memories, or scientific facts, there will always be gaps left to fill.
From the orderly specimen assemblages to the miniature domestic spaces, Shrill Relish and Other Stories is a curious collection of abandoned objects that reanimates life into long since forgotten artifacts. Her miniature dioramas of domestic spaces use a limited color palette, lighting, and distinctive points of interest to bring the past to the present. These tiny scenes are haunted by a residue of past activities—a half-eaten sandwich, a phone receiver dangling from a wall, a burning cigarette, a crunched beer can, a live television event. The scale and physical distance of the dioramas require viewers to move in closely to look at the details, highlighting the fact that the past will always separate viewers from the view. In her assemblages, animal bones, metal shards, and broken household items are suspended by wires like a wind chime. While wind chimes were used in ancient times to ward off malevolent spirits, Fleming’s constructions suggest that these artifacts might ward off the deterioration of memory.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Amy Fleming received her M.F.A. from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. She has shown her work in solo, group, and juried exhibitions. She has received awards from the Alliance for the Arts in 2004 and the Robert Rauschenberg/Barrier Island Group for the Arts in 2001. Fleming has also participated in several residency programs, including Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #153 with Mildred Howard. Currently, Fleming is a Printmaking instructor at Florida State University.