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Overlap has been transformed again! It has been an exciting week as Elizabeth Duffy, Lu Heintz, and Anna McNeary brought their work into the space. The pieces are thrilling on both a macro and micro level. From the considered details to the sophisticated concepts- there is so much to here to engage the viewer.
Duffy, Heintz, and McNeary chose the title “Dreams of a Common Language” (from Adrienne Rich’s book of poems- “A Dream of a Common Language”) to illuminate their collective interests in themes of language, identity, and historical perceptions of feminized labor.
For her ongoing series, “Wearing”, Elizabeth Duffy starts by unraveling braided rugs, uncovering the patterns and colors from the coats and clothing of which they had been traditionally made as well as the marks of wear. Duffy irons out and sews together these excavated worn and tattered scraps, creating a composite fabric which she then transforms into garments as an homage to their anonymous makers. Her new configurations remain tethered to the rug they were unspooled from, alluding “to the cyclical nature and shifting boundaries of the objects.”
Lu Heintz’s installation “Habitus” articulates a reciprocal response between our bodies and various structures that confine and support us, such as garments, or chairs. She arranges an assortment of bare wood and machine-gray painted amalgams of furniture and prosthetics, intermixed with soft fabric forms that relate to both the internal organs, and the limbs, wrought in colors that reference work uniforms, or human flesh and organ tones.
Anna McNeary’s interactive sculpture consists of two wooden racks that hold several modular fabric pieces, constructed from clothing patterns- sleeves, yokes, collars, shirt panels, pant legs, and on. Viewers may choose to participate by attaching pieces to one another and forming iterative, wearable garments, to be worn collectively or individually. Made from a simple color palette of pastel cloth that alludes to pink-collar vocations, childhood, and religious cults, the work delves into the tension between individual and collective identities.
There will be an artists’ reception on Saturday, April 27, 2024 from 4-6pm.
On June 1st, from 6-8pm, the artists will host an event including readings from “The Dream of a Common Language”, by Adrienne Rich, as well as a performance, and casual artist talks–speaking about their work within the context of the installation, and engaging in some Q & A. Both events are free and open to the public.
OVERLAP is open weekly Mon-Wed 11am-6pm, Sat 12-5pm, or by appointment. For additional information, please visit www.overlapnewport.com.
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