“To resist in place is to make oneself into a shape that cannot so easily be appropriated by a capitalist value system,” states author Jenny Odell. Much of my artistic practice begins by examining how capitalism affects everyday living. As a mode of resistance to the commercial attention economy, I am interested in the idea of re-training oneself (changing one’s shape) to pay closer and longer attention to seemingly non-commercial spaces, such as the sky, undeveloped land, and water. This type of playful and in-depth exploration is not profitable and resists the idea of monetizing each minute of every day. It is a way of engaging with the concept of “leisure as resistance,” a concept that has been studied for decades – check out this article for an overview of the subject.

In these videos, I engage with orientation, scale, reflection, and repetition in order to invite viewers to imaginatively play with these same spaces the next time they view them. This work invites questions about the human impact on these seemingly ‘natural’ or non-commercial spaces, such as the growing effects of climate change, or a lingering trail of condensation left in the sky by an airplane. The work also poses questions about privilege, highlighting who can and cannot financially afford to look at these particular spaces, and how this type of looking can act as a type of care and maintenance.

Screening History:
Altered Aesthetics Film Festival, August 2019
Nashville Especially Flat File, March 2020
Davidson College, September 2020
We Take Everything With Us, Walker Art Center website, October 2020
Poole Gallery, On Repeat, October-December 2020
Adjusting the Lens: Fest! – Unrequited Leisure, December 2020
2nd Kenai Film Bunker Showcase:  Between Boundaries (Busan, South Korea), December 2020