Opening Reception Friday February 2nd 7-10pm
Exhibition runs daily to February 6th
Violet Spectrum is a mixed media installation that reflects on the act of photographing to remember the fragile nature of life and the power of the earth’s elements. We don’t learn the specifics of Violet’s story, only the fact that her photograph is from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. Violet Spectrum is a memorial to one individual -- an homage to a young girl who once had her whole life in front of her.
Presented in one room, Violet Spectrum is comprised of a single channel projection on one wall – a simple pairing of fire footage and the photograph – flanked by a 300 lb. block of ice on one side and a small African violet plant on the other. The ice and houseplant are each illuminated by ultra-violet bulbs. The sound of a young girl’s breath appears to fuel both the fire and the slow fade in and out of the photograph.
One girl, whose existence has been eclipsed by the Holocaust, is briefly acknowledged by name and face. The ice block serves as a tomb for the unknown girl – for Violet – and countless others like her. Set against the austere qualities of the fire and ice, the fragile houseplant is an echo of the girl’s short life.
Biography: Elida Schogt uses conceptual premises, formally experimental techniques and poetic visual language. Whether installation or film, the work explores the theme of memory; uses scientific or historical inquiry as a tool for seeking truth; and, ultimately relies on metaphor to distill complex human processes into clear and coherent forms. Elida has an MA in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research in New York. She is best know for her debut work – a critically acclaimed trilogy of short films dealing with Holocaust Memory – Zyklon Portrait (1999), The Walnut Tree (2000), and Silent Song (2001)
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