janet lobberecht: it lingers then you forget
emerging aritst series: third floor atrium gallery
january 19 - march 4, 2007
In the exhibition It Lingers Then You Forget, Janet Lobberecht employs numerous conceptual strategies, installation methods, and materials to address themes of interconnectivity, process, memory and transformation. Though a number of large-scale collages anchor the installation, they are liberated from a contained, two-dimensional presentation by the addition of multiple objects that both surround and interact with these primary works. Linkages created among these forms encourage consideration of the installation as a whole as opposed to any individual component in isolation, challenging the notion of object hierarchy and highlighting the importance of subtle transitions among various elements included in the installation. Lobberecht’s emphasis on the relationship and confluence of these forms reflects her interest in the processes inherent in the development and deterioration of human memory. Despite our efforts to isolate, suppress, or embellish memories, the cognitive systems associated with retaining and recalling the past are continuously impacted by new experiences, biases, and decay. As such, an individual fleeting moment of recall must be considered as a product of a larger interactive and evolving system. Similarly, Lobberecht’s work can be observed and appreciated while at close proximity, yet it is when viewing the larger system and considering the overall processes and evolutions that one can think of our own histories and memories as collages of experience. These, not unlike Lobberecht’s installation, are in constant flux and never fully resolved.
The processes employed by Lobberecht while installing It Lingers Then You Forget at the Rochester Art Center parallel developmental progressions found bothin natureand in the making of memories. The artist’s approach involves the creation of an ongoing synergy between the gallery space, the materials placed within that space, and the viewers who subsequently interact with the work. This process of installation is a natural evolution of sorts, allowing Lobberecht to consider, respond, and react to each addition or modification made. Some of the collage work included in the exhibition is a reworking of previously constructed pieces. By reinstalling these works Lobberecht allows for a continuance between exhibitions, yet their placement in a new environment and the numerous additions, deletions, and interacting components surrounding them forever change these into something altogether new. Strips of tape, tracing paper, plastic chain, patterned vinyl, and sheets of Plexiglas are examples of the many materials placed specifically within the exhibition. Although some forms and materials may have the appearance of haphazard placement, with each decision, such as the creation of a series of puncture holes made with an awl, the artist carefully considers the subsequent impact upon the entire system of the work, and reacts to it with a further addition or modification. The work evolves over time in relation to the space and to Lobberecht’s own response to each step in the process of the installation. She also facilitates an ongoing progression of the installation by inviting select artists to interact with her work and respond to it with their own subtle modifications, allowing for ongoing transformations and the maintenance of perpetual progression. In addition to the similarity that her artistic process has with evolving and interactive systems in nature, aspects of her work also have the formal appearance of organic systems such as fluctuating landscapes, weather patterns, or swarms of living organisms.
Because her work never remains static, the memory of previous installations and adaptations may linger temporarily, but then fade. This perpetual interaction of time, location, and experience on memory is represented in Lobberecht’s installation. Through the use and placement of specific materials she reflects on the nonlinear paths involved in recalling information, emotion, and experience from her past. While certain forms appear to build connections among elements, other forms, such as sheets of dark Plexiglas learning against the wall, seem to interrupt or disrupt these connections. Nonlinearity and the lack of a clear narrative are also emphasized with the integration of text. Words and phrases repeat, suggesting importance and probable connections, but this deeper meaning is obscured to the viewer as much of the text is undecipherable. The repetitive marks, which have included lyrics from love songs, may represent distant recurring memories that we can try to recall or repress, but ultimately, like systems of nature, we have little ability to control. It is impossible to isolate a single memory so that it is devoid of its context and still maintain the authenticity of the original experience. Instead, the interactive, messy, incomplete and reworked recollection, though more complex and difficult to decipher, is more reflective of human experience. Accordingly, it is the viewer’s interaction with the work that further advances the overall system. An individual’s reaction to and perception of Lobberecht’s work is particularly important, as ultimately those experiences will be included in unique cognitive maps that will interact with other memories and experiences. Like all evolving systems, these mental representations will not linger unchanged for long, but will instead be subsumed by the larger framework of memory and experience.
about the artist
Janet Lobberecht received her B.F.A. from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1994. She has been included in exhibitions at the Soo Visual Arts Center in Minneapolis, MN, and the Front Room Gallery in St. Paul, MN. She was the recipient of the MCAD/Jerome Foundation Fellowship for Emerging Artists in 2005.
Rochester Art Center received the 2007 Jerome Foundation Grant to support the 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series. Rochester Art Center thanks the Jerome Foundation for their support of the 3rd Floor Emerging Artist Series.