The Still Lifes of Elsewhere | Dana Robinson
The Still Lifes of Elsewhere, Dana Robinson (Gainesville, FL).
April 2017. Handmade paper, transparency film, thread.
At Elsewhere, a seemingly endless flow of materials compete for a viewer’s attention. Filled to the brim with objects, reorganized and re-imagined over and over again according to color, use, material, origin, chronology – it’s easy for museum-goers to experience sensory overload.Dana Robinson wanted to generate worlds and stories that could exist on their own inside Elsewhere’s expansive universe. Using the tiniest fibers of the collection, she built handcrafted paper viewfinders—microcosmos that illuminate specific objects and materials. Peering through tiny peep holes, one can find photographic vignettes of arranged toys, knick-knacks, and other kitsch. As viewers interact with these objects on an intimate level, each can catch a microscopic view of the tiniest and most overlooked parts of the Elsewhere collection.Photographs hold the vast visual cacophony of Elsewhere together. Robinson’s images exist as color negatives and reference the archival process of slide-making.
