Passive Visual Warning 2010

Hand-Cut Paper Sign, Performance

I carry my “Passive Visual Warning” paper piece out into the field. Arms up like a Y, I try to keep the 5’ x 7’ pattern outstretched and visibly defined as a motif. Moving away from the building through tall, wet grasses, fireweed, and bushes, I define my movements, limits, and boundaries, while making my presence clear. It is an act of strength, and hidden weakness. I originally thought the meaning of the piece would be evident in the geometry, colors, and references to caution symbols in contemporary culture— transposed within a rural environment. I did not account for what it would be like to use and activate the sign as a performance, using my own determination as content, physically initiating a dialogue with my surroundings. The work is a self-reflective reaction to unfamiliar conditions, involving animals, wilderness, and nature.

Photography by Lauren Payne