"Stratum" investigates the construction of self through the dualistic perception of one’s public and private identity. Examining walls as symbols of middle-class domesticity often associated with pursuit of the American Dream, they represent the opportunity for freedom, success, prosperity and upward mobility of the family. Such walls, however, can be entrapping for those who do not uphold traditional gender roles. Through the performance of building these tropes of domesticity, the complexity of identity is revealed through the process of excavation.
"Stratum" Installation view, 2016. Lumber, fiberglass insulation, drywall, plaster, silkscreened wallpaper, clay ceramics. Each wall: 96 x 72 x 12 inches
Photographs by Paul Gisbrecht
