Running through May 31st at McClain Gallery is “Trailer” by Jeff Shore and Jon Fisher. By bringing together their background in art and electronics, the team has created a playful work that becomes more engaging the more you try to unravel it.
The duo, who has been creating works together since 2002, has installed a small universe of trailers, each with their own story and shared via sound and projection in a highly stylized lit room. When walking into the work you feel like you are entering a dissonant carnival, overwhelmed by the spectacle.
Small boxes, containing a closed diorama with model-sized figures are timed so that their projected image and accompanying sound rotate in a 12 minute loop. By doing this, you are an inhabitant of the trailer and are compelled to discern which box you are living.
Here is a video of the above box. Below that is its wall projection.
Shore and Fisher have demonstrated that, at its best, installation work can be engaging and accessible. The wires, boxes, and moving parts are like a science fair project, waiting for someone to pay attention to, and the seemingly low-tech quality of the work invites curiosity and awe.
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While I was at the show, I ran into Julia and Riley Willingham who let me interview them afterwards. See what they have to say!
Jeanette Joy Harris 