Description Project
In Feeling is built upon collaborations—between curators, artists, consultants, and the community. We invite you to add your voice to the exhibition by contributing your own description of one or more artworks in the exhibition.
Community Descriptions
Liza Sylvestre & Christopher Robert Jones’s Movement Centric Language: “Numerous illustrations of different people are displayed on a black wall in silver metallic markings. Each figure’s hands are in motion, illustrating a certain movement that the individual is making in ASL with emotive, strained faces. Small, delicate letters and larger, bolded letters are written along the arms, hands, and chests of the figures.”
— Anonymous
Christine Sun Kim’s Trauma: “Seven portraits of art are lined up in a distinct pattern on a white wall (two on the upper right and left, and 3 on the bottom middle). In each portrait, there is a label with an infographic underneath. In each different portrait, every change in direction of the wave length is marked by a certain word. Every single word on the portrait, from the title to infographic, look personally drawn with an imperfect, free hand style.”
— Anonymous
Finnegan Shannon’s Do you want us here or not?: “A sturdy blue bench with a single armrest, sits flush against a wall beneath bright museum lights. Uneven white text is painted directly onto the its surface, “*HEAVY SIGH*” across the backrest and “SIT IF YOU AGREE” across the seat. Though part of the exhibit, the bench doubles as a resting place for visitors, offering a pause from standing or the mental work of interpreting art. It acknowledges the quiet fatigue that can come from moving slowly through a gallery, instead inviting people to sit, breathe, and rest.”
— Sonora Campbell
Park McArthur’s Carried and Held: “A plaque hangs in the center of a blank black wall. The plaque contains an extensive list of names. Some entries are legal names, while others are more ambiguous, such as “Mary Lou from the sandwich shop” or “Unknown Taiwanese businessman”. Each name represents a person who has “carried and held” the artist in her life. The artist's list shows how the human spirit has a desire to help, and challenges the viewer to do the imaginative work themselves. With no added context, it puts the viewer's mind to work, creating stories and identities for these strangers, and in doing so, learning to appreciate people they have never met.”
— Sonora Campbell
Molly Joyce’s Perspective: “A projected screen lights up an empty wall: Beneath the words “WHAT DOES REST MEAN TO YOU?” stands a man. A woman's voice speaks the question aloud and begins a conversation with several a series of disabled individuals about what rest means to them. As the dialogue unfolds, the man translates into ASL, using his hands, arms, and facial expressions to embody the voices of the unseen speakers.This exchange concludes and is followed by three similar conversations, each centered on a new word;“Vulnerable”, Comparison”, and “Cure”. The voices shift in tone from loss to belonging, from confidence to wisdom or acceptance. A soft melody accompanies each discussion, rising gradually and then cutting off with the final sentence, leaving a sense of resolution.”
— Sonora Campbell
Finnegan Shannon’s Do you want us here or not (Fralin): “A bright blue wood bench sits to the left of the art label. Its left side has an arm rest, while the other side does not. Its edges are sharp and rectangular, not smooth or curved. On the back of the bench reads, “*HEAVY SIGH*” while the base reads, “SIT IF YOU AGREE.” It invites the reader to take a seat and become part of the art piece.”
— Anonymous
JJJJJerome Ellis’s Sonic Bathhouse #2: “There is a wide open atrium with black walls, dark lighting, and and waves of quiet music playing. Around the room there are multiple lounge seats and couches with pillows. The music plays in light waves of sound, bouncing from corner to corner of the space. The pillows and couches seem to radiate the sound, vibrating to the pitches that flow through the room.”
— Anonymous
Park McArthur’s Polyurethane Foam: “This is a large block of light green foam — a material used in the artist’s wheelchair cushioning. The work invites you to touch it, to feel something that is both ordinary and deeply personal. It brings material, body, and disability into the same space.”
— Anonymous
Finnegan Shannon’s Do you want us here or not (Fralin): “I was intrigued by the big writing on the chair “*heavy sigh* sit if you agree.” My first instinct thought it would say, sit here if you disagree based on the tone. I love the vibrant but cool blue as well.”
— Sophia
Andy Slater’s A New Self Portrait & Landing Site: “Two blank canvas are fixed to the wall— one larger, one smaller. Next to each canvas, there is a label and a pair of headphones with a play button. When wearing the headphones and pressing play, the audio describes a visual that the audience/listener imagines onto the invisible canvas. ”
— Anonymous
Park McAuthur’s Polyurethane Foam: “An extremely large rectangular block of pale, greenish blue polyurethane foam sits next to the art exhibit label. One edge of the block is worn and appears to have shedded some of the outermost foam, with a tinge of light brown staining on it. On the wall next to the label is a white box of smaller, rectangular polyurethane foam pieces. It feels sturdy and hard, yet also flexible enough to have some give to the touch.”
— Anonymous
Park McArthur’s Polyurethane Foam: “An imposing block of Polyurethane Foam looms over visitors, set apart from the wall so it can be circled. One side of the foam has shifted from sky blue to a muted, tannish brown. The brown face is worn, with small and larger pieces torn or rubbed away to reveal bits of the original blue foam beneath the grime. On the wall near the information plaque, small blocks of foam are held in a hanging box attached to the wall, offered for visitors to rub against the surface, encouraging them to become part of the exhibit and contribute to the foam’s gradual erosion. Seen only from one side, the block may appear just brown, or just blue; but, by moving around it, we experience a sense of shifting perception from the exhibit.”
— Sonora Campbell
Christine Sun Kim’s Trauma: “Seven charcoal illustrations on white paper line the wall. Each shows a graph-like image, an undulating line crossing the axis several times, creating a wave. The ebb and flow of each wave is nearly symmetrical across the series, evoking cycles and repetition. One of the frames on the middle right reads “DEAF COMMUNITY HISTORY” the word history sits above the crossed out community; each bears the word “ERASED” and each trough the word “ERASING” below. Below this frame is another stating “TRAUMA UPON TRAUMA”, with the word “CYCLE” printed above each crest, and “CIRCLE” beneath each trough. Even the installation echoes the theme itself, the drawings are hung at staggered heights, forming their own quiet wave across the gallery wall.”
— Sonora Campbell
Andy Slater’s A New Self Portrait: “On a white wall there sits a flush, rectangular sheet that appears to be a clear plastic film. Next to it hangs a set of headphones. To the naked eye, nothing is visible on the film, it is blank. Through the headphones, however, a man begins to speak: “I know what I look like but proving it is a challenge”. The artist describes his “caterpillar eyebrows” and “perfect Roman nose”. As the description unfolds, the transparent film-though physically unchanged- seems to gain something. The view constructs the artist’s image in their own mind, turning absence into presence.”
— Sonora Campbell
Molly Joyce’s Perspective: “A video with multiple people speaking and English subtitles is being projected up onto a black wall. In front of the video, there is a light blue bench with a gray seat pad. The audio of the video is playing very softly so that the viewer may struggle to fully hear it. However, the bench vibrates with the sounds of the video in a way that the listener can feel the audio. The audio of the video is playing very softly so that the viewer may struggle to fully hear it. However, the bench vibrates with the sounds of the video in a way that the listener can feel the audio.”
— Anonymous
Jeff Kasper’s Wrestling Embrace: “Kasper created this activity to engage in exercises that foster positive experiences of vulnerability that enable participants to reconnect with bodily emotions and sensations. The black mats are laid on the floor for sitting, standing, or lying down, and there are phrases within the circle that create an empowering self-perception and affirmations that generate a wheel-like shape. There is also a deck of cards that provides prompts for physical interactions or exchange amongst partners. The table beside the mats have sensory objects and hold the deck of cards that guide the activities of the exercise.”
— Kaley Vallejo
Finnegan Shannon’s Do you want us here or not (Fralin): “Do you want us here or not (Fralin) is a bench that doubles as both furniture and artwork. Made of smooth, lacquered plywood , it provides a place to sit and rest while reflecting on who is welcome eon the museum. The words across the surface - "Heavy sigh" followed by a "Sit if you agree" - transform an ordinary bench into a statement about access, comfort and belong. By offering rest while also confronting the visitor, the work invites reflection on how museums include or exclude different bodies and experiences.”
— Ana
Jerron Herman’s LAX: “A small screen with two sets of headphones is attached to the wall, next to an art label. On the screen a Black man in flowing, light brown linens dances in a white room to music/voices. Surrounding audience members watch as he moves fluidly from the floor to standing up with his left arm pinned to his back. His dance is smooth and precise, with brief moments of stiffness. As he ends his performance, the audience applauds and he hugs a friend. .”
— Ana
JJJJJerome Ellis’s Sonic Bathhouse #2: “Benches and cushioned seats surround the room, creating an ambience of relaxation. As you make your way to a seat, you are met by the sounds reminiscent of the ocean. Once seated, there are pillows that vibrate in time with the audio, adding a tactile element. This vibration helps visitors stay grounded and deepen their connection to the exhibit.. The soundscape shifts gradually, from the hush of waves to gentle musical tones that emerge softly then swell overtaking the oceans rhythm.”
— Sonora Campbell
Liza Sylvestre’s Interference 8/12/21: “A white sheet of paper displays a journal entry written in black ink surrounded by a white frame. Many letters are scribbled out by the same black ink. These scribbles, though chaotic, are deliberate, creating an organized pattern cutting across the page These black marks obstruct the reader's gaze, rendering the text largely unreadable. The effect evokes a sense of loss and confusion, heightened by the heavy black strokes that dominate the page. The almost-decipherable words make the piece feel as if the artist is whispering just beyond full hearing range. Drawing the viewer to lean in, search for meaning, and become aware of the distance between what is revealed and what is concealed.”
— Sonora Campbell
Liza Sylvestre’s Interference: “Three portraits containing a scrawl of small, thin letters are written on white papers. All of the writing has a hand style that highlights the personal content of the writing. Some letters of each word have black static-like markings hiding the full word, making it challenging to decipher.”
— Anonymous
Liza Sylvestre’s Interference: “Three portraits containing a scrawl of small, thin letters are written on white papers. All of the writing has a hand style that highlights the personal content of the writing. Some letters of each word have black static-like markings hiding the full word, making it challenging to decipher.”
— Anonymous
Park McArthur’s Carried and Held: “Next to the art exhibit label there is another long list of words. At first, the text appears to be an additional label because it is has similar formatting— a simplistic white background with black, uniform text and a bolded title. However, as one investigates closer, we realize the separate text is the art piece. It contains the title, “Carried and Held,” in bold, and then proceeds with a long, diverse list of names. The piece makes you consider the contribution of each person, leaving much unknown and to be considered.”
— Anonymous
Molly Joyce’s Perspective: “A video displayed via projector on a black wall, surrounded by a wall to your right and behind you. Within this semi-square black box, sits a bench that vibrates. The vibration allows for each word said and each note played to be felt by your body as you sit. The video showcases a man in black suit communicating by signing ASL. As you watch the video you quickly realize that he is translated testimonies being shared by other individuals with disabilities.”