"Oh, Tulsa!" Artist's used motor oil on gallery floor, 10'x8', 2015
Tulsa’s history does not begin with oil, but oil is what made it what it is today. When I first moved to Tulsa, I followed my interests and researched the EPA Superfund Sites in the area. All were oil refinery related or contaminated dumpsites. In the spirit of Oh, Tulsa! Biennial and the idea that the words can have a positive or negative spin, I proposed a site-specific text based artwork composed of my used motor oil saved the oil from oil changes required since moving to town. I used this to write “Oh, Tulsa!” on the gallery floor – pairing text, surface, context, content, and humor.
“Elapse" - Digital Lithography
and Monotype on Paper, 15”x11”, 2013
After agreeing to take part in a show entitled “Southern Patterns”, I began to evaluate what living in the South means to me. Although I have lived in the South for several years, I do not feel I have the right to call myself a Southerner after living in Oklahoma for most of my life and being raised by parents from Maryland and Ohio. This led me to determine what in my life is truly Southern. I headed for the small piece of the South I call mine, my backyard.
Being a renter leaves me with little knowledge of this parcels history. The more I thought about my yard, the more I realized the animals still living there are resilient. They have lived through years of mowing, pesticides, herbicides, and thinned biodiversity. I collected the tracks of the insects, arachnids and reptiles calling my lawn home on powdered acrylic sheets, compiled the collection of animal mark making and printed it atop monotypes representing years of “lawn care”. The resulting image is “Elapse”, a drawing collaboration with the fauna of my backyard and in turn, my Southern pattern.
"The Bridge" - Copy Paper, Yarn, Paper Clip and Magnifying Glass
We share a significant portion of our genetic makeup with all other forms of life. Less than two percent our DNA differs from that of our closest relatives in the animal world. For The Bridge, the separating two percent of nucleotide bases are represented as the individual letters on copy paper stating, “This is our soul”. The 783 pages were created through a powder toner copy machine. At random intervals a freshly printed sheet would be pulled and replace the previous image source as a way to replicate genetic variation. This resulted in a steady transition from legible type to abstract field.
"Super Neighborhood" - Digital Projection, Patio Furniture and Respirator
Super Neighborhood started with an exploration of EPA Superfund Sites within an hour drive of my house. Seeking a connection with the place I live is one of my personal priorities. This project allowed me to deepen that relationship as well as grant new knowledge of the area’s layered industrial past and share this familiarity with others.
While several of the Superfund Sites where compelling to visit, I felt this site on the edge Marion, LA to be the most engaging. The neighborhood sits with a superfund site across the street. I made a large format panoramic photograph from many images and then projected it into the corner of the gallery with an inviting patio set. A pink respirator mask sits on the table. The viewer is able to take a seat and look down the road with EPA Superfund signs opposite of them.
"Organ Growth Study #22786" - Oil on Canvas 42"x60", 2013
Science and medicine are developing at a dizzying rate. Many of the once far off thought experiments of science fiction are becoming reality. Growth of replacement organs for humans has been at the top of the pile of ideas for some time. My increased interest in biological art peaked my curiosity in seeing some of these concepts brought to “life”. Organ Growth Study #22786 is the combination of a bovine body and human organs acting as a way for me to solidify a concept, which remains unattained.
Peter Hay - Reticulation - Ingredients - Rivers - Ex is T(h)ere - Unearthed - Commons - Almost Home - Scientific Introspective - Interlude - Home