Suburban Meditation

by consent of Salt Lake Art Center.
© Salt Lake Art Center 2009 ; by consent of Salt Lake Art Center.

Patrick Lichty

Suburban Meditation , –
Co-workers & Funding
Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana Arts Council Mini-Grant, Salt Lake Arts Center,.
http://artpulsemagazine.com/all-american-defining-ourselves-in-a-time-of-change
Mnemosyne
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  • by consent of Salt Lake Art Center.
    Suburban Meditation
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Description
Suburban Meditation (2003-2009) This installation is a commentary on the worship of materiaism in American Suburbia, The inspiration dedrives from the weekly practice of lawn mowing in suburban Baton Rouge Louisiana after visiting the Ryoan-Ji Zen gardens of Kyoto. The drone of the mower mirrored a materialist chant of the Buudhist monks, and the circular motions reminiscent of the raking of stones.

The installation consisted of an "American" materialist Zen garden of astroturf, stones, reflecting balls, plastic furniture, and the mower. On the large format TV or projection (Salt Lake City) an analogue capture from the mower's point of view as the artist went on his rounds, also shredding artifacts of material culture as he went.

This work was at the Das Wunderkammer exhibition at Barristers' Gallery in New Orleans (2003) and the "All American" exhibition at the Salt Lake City Art Center in 2009.
Keywords
  • subjects
    • Arts and Visual Culture
      • allegory
      • materiality
      • theory
        • Postmodernism
        • simulacrum
    • History and Memory
    • Power and Politics
      • institutions
      • nationalism
    • Society and Culture
      • capitalism
      • consumption
      • urban space
Technology & Material
Installation Requirements / Space
3.5x3.5 m space, astroturf, stones, video projection, plastic furniture, reflecting balls, audio amplification.
Interface
Footswitch activated or ambient play - current version uses Raspberry Pi (2022)
Material
Astroturf, stones, Lawn ornaments, Plastic Furniture, Lawnmower, Audiovisual projection/display, doormat with footswitch.
Sound
Mix of live lawnmowing, combined with lrecorded live Buddhist chant, 2002, Kyoto. 2 channel stereo.
Exhibitions & Events
All American: Defining Ourselves in a Time of Change
Das Wuibderkammer: A Cabinet of Curiositien
Bibliography
4 publications