Kate Dodd
“MIDDEN”
A “Fresh Air Montclair exhibition” 493 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair NJ 07042
Special thanks: Pure Energy Hair Studio
2020, 7.5’ x 17’, repurposed book, a site-specific installation for Pure Energy Hair Studio
“Midden” references an archaeological term used to describe a mound or pile of artifacts associated with a past human settlement. The shelves of product seen beyond the installation through the windows of the salon are alluring; I was inspired by the variety of bottle shapes, the plentiful aspect of the inventory, the colors of the bottles. I often repurpose discarded books in my artwork, so I created the silhouette of a midden in front of the shelving by cutting up one entire volume of the Golden Book Encyclopedia of Natural Science, a mid century classic information source for baby boomer children. Lines of text are used to outline dozens of bottle forms, which are connected by more text. The romantic illustrations from these pages reminded me of natural ingredients used in health and beauty products, and so I filled the bottle forms with imagery of various flora and fauna. The bottles and their ingredients are arranged in layers from top to bottom, or from order to disorder, reflecting the cycle of desire and consumption.
