Kate Johnson - Moving

Kate Johnson, a former student of mine, made the above photograph for an assignment in Special Topics in 2010. The goal was to create an installation that existed only as a photograph. She wrapped everything in her bedroom with newspaper as she was preparing to move back to Lafayette, Indiana after graduation. The blinds, to this day, astound me.

One of the reasons I was interested in this piece relates back to an old family photograph I have of my Aunt Eleanor who resided in a floor-to-ceiling cardboard covered house in the 1940s. It's the obsessive nature of the action and the sheer amount of detail Kate portrayed that drew me in.

A couple weeks ago, long after Kate graduated and moved away, she sent me another version. She's moving again and this time she wrapped her living room. Part of me wishes that there were blinds on that window or at least the lovely blue of the light outside but overall, I am enamored with the scale (larger furniture, a bigger space, etc.). It's also ironic when one thinks how little newspapers are read and here they aren't used for learning the news or advertising. Instead they serve a functional purpose - protection of the objects they cover. They also conceal and make generic everything in the room which is also fascinating.

I am hopeful that Kate moves several more times in her future. I'm counting on the seeing a kitchen, dining room and bathroom someday! Thanks for sending me the image Kate.