Kim V. Abeles: Shared Skies (13 global skies)
Artist(s):
Title:
- Shared Skies (13 global skies)
Exhibition:
Creation Year:
- 2012
Category:
Artist Statement:
Shared Skies is a series of digital prints and sculpture using photographs of skies collected from four sources: my own journeys, artists who participate as they travel worldwide, international friends through social media, and some purchased from photographers through stock photo sites.
The work speaks to the connections among global, local, and personal. As people look toward the sky each morning, through the day and night, the sky speaks to their personal and local concerns. In a global sense, we observe the effects of our environmental decisions and find community through a seamless sky.
Shared Skies began as a permanent, large-scale artwork that I am creating for the new Anderson-Munger YMCA in Los Angeles. As part of the process to consider the implications of the idea, I started by making digital prints with groupings of 13 skies each. These are being produced by Sundog Multiples, a print atelier at the University of North Dakota. Each sky is identified with the location and the name of the photographer. For this ongoing series, there are currently hundreds of sky photographs from 38 countries and all the continents.
The project would not be possible without the networking that the internet provides. These skies can be requested and sent by anyone with a camera and access to a computer (public or private). The sky as a metaphor can be felt and understood by all.
