For the month of October at Echo Arts gallery, the living spectator was invited to accompany the dead on the journey into the afterlife. ‘Tranfigurations’ was an all-encompassing installation, featuring the work of Talissa Mehringer and Laekun Foto, and was loosely based on the traditions of Samhain, or All Hallow’s Eve, during which the veil between life and death is at its thinnest. With life-size soul drones, a series of large creature sculptures, vignettes and environments from beyond, soundscapes- as well as photo, video, paintings, and a variety of other two and three dimensional artwork- Talissa M. and Laekun Foto presented a surreal opportunity to cross over and explore.
The characters created were inspired by mythological creatures and deities from different cultures, giving spectators an understanding of the cross-cultural similarities and timeless reinterpretations of concepts such as death, chaos, balance, and beauty. ‘Transfigurations’ sought to create an experience which transcended the idea of art-on-the-wall shows, by creating an environment in which viewers were physically involved and became part of the narrative.’
The installation was completed over a period of six months and installed within one week at Echo Arts Gallery in St. Paul, Minnesota. Preceding the build, a project on Kickstarter.com was created and successfully funded on Sept. 4th, 2011.
Transfigurations’ © Talissa Mehringer + Laekun Foto (http://doranina.com/) 2011
See ‘Excerpts of Entropy’ -another mixed media installation and collaboration here: