INSTALLATION GROUP: JAMES, BRANDON & MARY

James, Brandon and I began our journey of exploring the public space around the university by walking to the library to share the contents of our suitcases. We ended up in the science section which was appropriate because James’ suitcase was full of dirt. I will let James share his thoughts about the contents of his suitcase through the email that he sent to me:

"When presented with this exercise I thought about all of my material possessions and their different levels of value. I came to the conclusion that they mean very little to me. Sure we use objects as memory devices, however once we expend our time here we can take none of them with us. Having reached this conclusion I reverted back to my childhood and the countless days spent playing in the yard and the dirt. It was now apparent to me what my most prized possession was, the earth. This is why i chose to fill my suitcase full of soil to display as my work. The main thought that occurred to me during this was, "I have had dirt from the day I was born. I will have dirt when I have nothing else. I will have dirt after I die." After I made this decision I realized it could not have been any better. In bringing the soil into the "proper" art environment of Rowe, I was able to exercise the foundation of Installation art from its roots as land art. This simple act is a basis for understanding the potential usage of Installation as art, even if this work is not to be considered a work of art itself.” – James Hart

Brandon’s most prized possession was a photo of his grandfather who died when he was eight years old. However, it was the Mario Bros. games that inspired Brandon to do what he’s doing now – animation. Brandon likes to see things come alive on the screen and would like to design and create animated games. He chose to install the two games in Woodward Hall because he spent most of his early time at UNCC taking engineering classes. He learned that engineering was not the field for him, and switched to art. The two Mario Bros. games were installed near the bulletin board that students pass by on a regular basis.

I have dozens of items in my suitcase that are precious to me, and even more at my home. Each one represents the memory of a loved one deceased, a loved one still in my life, a special time, an awesome trip, etc. I have kept many objects that trigger my memories, but if all the objects blew away one day, I would be still be OK. It is really the feelings and memories that I cherish. I just like looking at the objects from time to time. I chose to install my Koala bear in front of Rowe Arts because we have both come a long way on our journey through life. The Koala bear was chosen in Australia while my daughter and I were at a Rotary International Convention in 2003. We were careful in our choices, she and I, and 'adopted' two Koalas with what we felt were compatible personalities :). The Koala serves as a reminder of that awesome time with my daughter; has helped open lines of communication when Emily was a teen and something was bothering her; and reaffirmed to me the generosity and kindness of Rotarians who sent a new Koala from Australia when Emily lost hers. Installing the Koala which represents so much to me in front of Rowe Arts symbolizes to me the blending of my past life with the life towards which I am journeying. My past life allows me to go forward boldly into my new life.