These photographs are studies for the series, Members, a collection of 1:1 scale straight photographs depicting isolated body parts emerging out of a sea of black.  Modeled after the anatomical studies of corpses and severed limbs by Théodore Géricault, the body parts in Members, while living, appear equally abandoned. Appendages lie limp, heaped and arranged with no sense of identity attached to them.

The title of the series functions as a double entendre; a “member” is another name for a limb as well as an individual belonging to a group. However, these compositions feature anonymous groupings absent of individuality.  They lack the same connotations of solidarity and community associated with membership. Their close contact suggests intimacy, but all other elements point towards a sense of loss.

I love that I am able to be both a man and woman due to my shortened name (yes, I am a Brittney, click the link above to read what I mean). I always thought my art screamed “A WOMAN MADE THIS!”, but I am glad to see that it is not as apparent as I first thought. I believe this reviewer had some fair criticism of both the place and art. Please read, and then go see my photographs if your are in Houston. Also, I am far from done with this series. I am still making studies for larger pieces. So if you are interested in modeling and will be in Southeast Texas, please fill out my contact form. I don’t pay people (starving artist), but I will provide water, snacks and awkward entertainment.

Otherwise, my next show is at Box13 Art Space on May 19th. It is a stop animation installation in the upstairs gallery. I am hard at work on it so come see how it turns out! It is a return to a project I started 4 years ago that was never resolved. I am glad to finally redo it and present it to the public. Be there or be square!

I myself being a Box 13 member, made a sculptural piece with members, Karen Brasier Young, Emily Sloan and David McClain. We disassembled an 8-ft diameter sun pinata into 4 pieces, reworked them separately based on parameters that we set, and then reassembled the fractured star in the gallery. My piece is the wall pinata in the image below. Inside McClain’s piece (floor section) is the soundtrack and title to our collaborative piece, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr.’s 1977 hit, You Don’t Have to be a Star Baby

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This kind of tactic is actually how the PG Contemporary exhibition I was just in came to fruition. PG Contemporary’s landlord was sitting on vacant property only two storefronts down from the gallery. The landlord did not charge anything to host the temporary annex show. Added bonus: It is rumored that someone contacted the landlord about renting the space for a gallery. With artist projects such as Sharsten Plenge’s plan to transform an abandoned JCPenney into an art complex in Houston, I think it is about time H-town had its own non-profit resource to utilize vacant property and bring art to new areas of the community.

If you know of any non-profit organizations who focus on this, please let me know. I would love to visit them and learn more about how they function.

b.

Hello friends,

Above is a walk-through video created by one of the co-curators of the current exhibit I am in. Pan y Circos is a group exhibit curated by Robert Boyd, editor/publisher of The Great God Pan is Dead, and Zoya Tommy of PG Contemporary Gallery. I encourage everyone to go see it! I think they did a wonderful job and I am honored to have been selected to participate. You can also read a review from Houston Press here!

Screen Test is an audition-style public-participation performance, resulting in a video compilation of everyone’s shoots. The setting for these performances is a staged audition room with a camera, microphone and floor marks. Everyone is given the same instructions: stand in front of a stationary video camera and pretend to be shot by a gun. Anyone can participate, no experience necessary. Each performance can be as funny or as serious as the participant chooses, lethal or not.

I am interested in how people interpret violence. This project idea evolved from my personal witnessing of a horrific act. When asked to describe what I had seen, the first thing that came out of my mouth was, “It was just like the movies!” Even though many people have not witnessed dramatic acts of violence in person, they have all seen movies. I am curious as to how media has shaped people’s individual interpretations of the experience of being shot.

*This is an ongoing project. If you are within the USA and are interested in hosting this performance, please fill out the contact form on my blog page.

1. Only one person may enter at a time.

2. You may stay as long as you like.

From there, each visitor could walk up the stairs and interact with the hands however they wanted. The person behind the wall could not see anyone. Each experience was unique, ranging from soothing and therapeutic to kinky and sexual.

My desire is that this will give artists on the verge of starting their careers a chance to experience the excitement of sharing their artwork with a large audience. I remember my first solo exhibition. It was soon after I received my BFA and I saw it as the perfect confidence booster as I moved into my MFA. With The Lens Capsule, I can’t help think of the usual venues for emerging artists during Fotofest. Coffee shops, studios-turned-galleries and other small obscure locations with little art community attendance tend to dominate. This format of exhibition brings art directly to the people other than trying to bring the people to a remote space. I hope people take advantage of Emily and I’s efforts.

For more information, visit www.thelenscapsule.com.

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