textile to make present/ to make softer, 20 (60” x 108”)
compiled from an assortment of preparatory drawings

Part of a site-responsive installation curated by Mardee Goff and commissioned by the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art for the exhibition Substrate (January 26 – May 3, 2015).

Theresa Anderson

2015

an energetic defense system/ sites of pressure and pleasure/ to make more present/ gather energy from the soft fleshy floor/ objects too have agency/ for touching

carpet fibers, mirrored Plexiglas, upholstery weight textile, expandable textiles, pillow soft foam, assorted paint, down feathers, reclaimed wood, pastels, straps, plaster

“People like plants draw energy from each other. Objects like people draw energy from each other.”- an extrapolation from The Healing Universe

“Theresa Anderson’s installation invites visitors into a tactile and sensuous atmosphere filled with soft, fluffy, and squishy materials. Charged emotionally and symbolically, the materials fetishize attributes of the gallery. The pink tones of the walls pull out hues of the floor and illuminate the area with a fleshy, invigorating vibrancy. Warmth suffuses and softens the space, heightening our experience of the environment. The organic forms made of stretchy, stocking-like material stuffed to the brim with feathers embody amorphous deities. The translucent beings, slightly surreal yet inviting and seductive, elicit our voyeuristic inclinations. They mimic the body and beg our touch and movement to make them come alive. In the tapestry, figures spread across a surreal-like fabric landscape imitate patterns on the floor. Anderson’s work tempts us to imagine the life of the floor and creates an elegy of its history and the past interactions.”-Mardee Goff

a detail from the site-specific installation making softer– http://theresaandersonart.com/making-softer/