David Flaugher and Travis Galloway’s exhibition in the third floor gallery of The North End Studios, titled 8’, was composed of a collaborative installation and a small selection of recent works. Unfortunately, this show is no longer on display, although I found it compelling enough to deserve some discussion and preservation on these pages.
The first thing one noticed while walking up the stairs and approaching the gallery was the smell of sawdust (or if you came on opening night, the screeching howl of various power tools, but I’ll get to that later). Upon entering you could get the impression that this was an installation in progress, as the floor was littered with sawdust and various objects. This is nothing new to those accustomed to the methods and practices of contemporary art, but was an effective use of the massive space afforded the artists at the Northend Gallery. Regarding the sawdust installation, it had been swept into a series of concentric circles emanating from the pillars in the room as a sort of poor man’s Japanese Rock Garden or over-sized mandala. Which is fitting, considering that the title of another of Flaugher’s small watercolors, titled “Potential Mandala”, was laid on the floor amidst the strewn sawdust.
Installed in the corner space in the gallery was another piece titled “Thinking Other People’s Thoughts” which consisted of white sage, water, and sawdust in a set of bowls sitting on a sheet of laid out painter’s plastic in ritualistic fashion. I couldn’t help but wonder if the title was referencing, or perhaps questioning, his own appropriation of Buddhist practice and tradition. I felt the works could be read in a number of ways, and was left uncertain as to whether Flaugher’s intention was that of genuine meditative action, mockery of another culture’s spiritual traditions, or an attempt at elevating common daily practices (sweeping, cooking, arranging) to that of a ritualistic and contemplative act.
Galloway’s work appeared to me to be very auto-biographical. A collection of random objects and two small collages (image above), it held a much more understated place in the installation as a whole. Both artists utilized common materials and derelict objects in their work, in decidedly Detroit fashion. Galloway presented two pieces titled “25 Years” and “25 years(cooler), I imagine in regard to the age of the artist. One was a beat up and ugly yellow chair and the other a cooler with a radio inside, looping what could be imagined as a transmission from some far-off post-apocalyptic radio station. It seemed to me that perhaps the artist was more interested in the name assigned to object, in this case “cooler” , than the object itself. As someone who is interested in words and their subjectivity, I thought this piece was subtle and considerably more complex than it’s possible banality would imply.
Now, about those power tools. On opening night, Flaugher presented a performance work titled “Making” which seemed to be the focus of most of the crowds attention during the evening. Two men in plain work clothes cut, drilled, and assembled a basic table and bench. The notion of inviting a bunch of people to an art opening to have them stand and watch two men work seemed to be a particularly subversive act, and the watching became a meditative one, which lends credibility to my considered intentions of Flaugher’s installation. What at first may have come off as a clever gimmick transformed over the course of the evening into what I thought was a genuinely interesting and reflective performance. It made for a bona fide surreal experience, as noted by some fellow attendees, and set the tone of the entire exhibition in many ways.
Overall, I felt the artists presented a compelling show that could have been pushed a little harder, but left me feeling intellectually and aesthetically engaged. It also brought some much needed attention to one of Detroit’s largest and most overlooked artist-run gallery spaces. It’s not just for the CCS set.
-Ian Swanson
The Northend Studios are located at 2937 E. Grand Blvd. More information on them here.
*In the interest of full disclosure, Ian does rent studio space at Northend, but did not have a hand in organizing this exhibition.
photos by Christopher Samuels.
‘could have been pushed a little harder’
No way Ian!!! How would you have pushed this any more than it was? Each piece was seemingly so unskilled, or instead of having those traditional artist-skills where a painter or sculptor might physically labor over an object for hours, the viewer is left wondering what is there. We are forced to look at a piece of paper, a ‘collage’ made by the artist which appears to be without order, as if he had simply picked the work up off of the floor during the process of making something else. This would only back the overall theme of the show, of the meditative, the meta maybe, in the everyday.
Even more compelling were those viewers who didn’t take notice of the artists’ choices. Instead, many used the utilitarian objects in mid-performance, placed in the gallery, to cope with their own boredom at having to stand with friends to watch two ordinary carpenter dudes build a table and chairs, thus becoming part of the performance as well. Easily the best thing I’ve seen since arriving here.
A few days later, I came in to find all of the artists’ objects being put to good use by a group of pro-wrestlers as they changed in and out of costume for a shoot on the fourth floor.
(if anyone has a copy of the statement please please please send it my way)
Ham, give me your e-mail and I will gladly send over a copy of the statement.
“…instead of having those traditional artist-skills where a painter or sculptor might physically labor over an object for hours, the viewer is left wondering what is there. We are forced to look at a piece of paper, a ‘collage’ made by the artist which appears to be without order, as if he had simply picked the work up off of the floor during the process of making something else.” It actually feels that like is the going mode of working in Detroit currently, so I may be a little jaded on it. However, I think Dave and Travis have a particularly deft touch with it. The “Making” performance was fantastic. I can’t say enough good things about that. I thought a few of the concepts could maybe have been developed a little further, and perhaps been a little less referential. Everything can be pushed a little further
Overall, I thought it was a killer show and def the best one in the space (thus far) by a huge margin.
Ian, you shouldn’t worry about “going modes” if that were the case we would all be making Abstract Expressionist paintings as our American art fore fathers would have intended.
One thing we have to take into consideration is the fact that David handmade that broom stick, carving the wood and wrapping metal wire around the end to ‘mimic’ real life, but in fact only skewing it even more. He also made those bowls out of 2 x 4’s, again skewing real life.
I think you are misunderstanding something. I don’t know what you mean by referring to “going modes”. The fact of the matter is if I referred to contemporary practice or “modes” of image-making I felt it important to note. If I prefer to place things in the context of history or practice, that’s my choice. None of our opinions are better than others. Also, I was not made aware of the process of the broom and bowls. That information was not made apparent to the audience anywhere in the exhibition materials. If it were such an important detail, I feel it should have been noted. Otherwise, it just becomes a means to an end to creating an object. You need some kind of material, and 2×4’s are certainly one of David’s stock materials. The same could be said of an artist purchasing paint and making a painting. Did David tool the 2×4’s himself? Doubtful. If an artist makes his own paint would that be considered relevant as a “skewing” of reality? If the process is so integral to the understanding of the work that information should have been made available. The mimicry of the broom stick is interesting, and I wish I would have known that. I liked the piece regardless of that information. I liked the whole show. I think you’re misunderstanding my feelings regarding it.
-ian
Dude, Ian, my comments are not a personal attack on you. I’m simply adding to the discussion. you said “it actually feels that like is the going mode of working in Detroit currently, so I may be a little jaded on it.”
thats what i was referring to.
Hah, yeah. Didn’t even notice that you were referring to my comment. Dude, I’m defensive by nature, you know that! I wasn’t sure what you were referring to. In no way am I saying that that particular “mode” of practice is bad. All I’m saying is that I didn’t even really feel it worth mentioning since it has become such a part of the cultural lexicon locally.