SCULPTOR / INSTALLATION / EDUCATOR
1 week - JUNE 2021
Gregory Blair is a multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary person, perhaps a Renaissance man. The primary purpose for this 1 week residency was a sculptural installation of some sort on the land. Meanwhile, if you read his bio you'd discover that his "scholarly research and art making practice are highly eclectic and are intentionally intertwined to include various forms of writing, publishing, zines, sculpture, photography, sound art, earth art, installation, and video. All of my assorted activities are grounded in the exploration and understanding of context, place, and the (mis)perceptions associated with each one. This conceptual foundation is blended with an array of other fields of interest including music, pop culture, punk culture, political resistance, philosophy, idioms, puns, topography, mobility, graphic design, and conceptual art," he states.
Currently, Blair is an educator at the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville where teaching digital design and history courses. But Blair didn't come alone, he brought his family full of creative energy. In the few random opportunities to interact with this vibrant family, it was evident that being creative all day is probably just like breathing for all of them.
Hosting families is a special treat especially when the kids can venture out on their own and pet/groom the donkeys or act as assistants for their parents in their individual installation projects.
Greg worked on several projects varying in scale and material. The shadow boxes featured material found onsite.
It was so exciting to see the final product created by Blair utilizing rocks and bamboo as an ephemeral land specific installation. This was one of the facets of his work that was most appealing in hosting this residency. Our conversation about this project was really interesting so check out that blog post with the video. In summary, though, this was the first time he was able to use bamboo as a material and was very interested it as a material. The structure and contrast with the color and texture of the rock made a successful unique installation hidden on the river rock bed that will likely flood next spring. Will document this seasonally, so stay tuned.
What would you create? What materials would you search for in your work?