CROMMAEA
AT PILCHUCK GALLERY SEATTLE WA. USA
IN COLLABORATION WITH ALANA BIFFERT
A new window exhibition at Pilchuck Glass School’s downtown space in Pioneer Square turns the sidewalk into a mini-museum. Artists Alana Biffert and Marta Gorski have teamed up to install CROMMAEA, a layered examination of our physical bodies and our digital world. The piece combines carved glass lenses with pixelated photographs printed on vellum, the whole thing bathed in the soft pink glow of neon lights. Stop and look: perhaps through one glass peephole you’ll notice the distorted image of an eye, larger than life; through another, a pair of lips.
“This work is about voyeurism, body image, and the double-ended perspective of the lens,” Biffert and Gorski share. “[It] explores what it means to be seen and be vulnerable without shame.” Themes that have come into sharp focus during the past year of isolation and online connection—like mindfulness, self-presentation, and visual consumption—surface in the work as questions and invite further reflection.
CROMMAEA is self-identity, creating our own illusions and distortions, at a macro level.
“In a global grab for attention, we spend our days scrolling for relevance,” the artists explain. “We flip through shot after shot with flaring opinions as humans slip in and out of the land of objecthood… This is an exploration of the digital era, not a criticism. It’s about bridging the gap between the people in front of and behind the screen.”
Frequently,
we offer a perspective of ourselves that is a manufactured version of how we imagine others see us. We allow others to view us through strategically placed lenses: to demonstrate our charisma, our sexuality, our strengths. These offer a satisfying view but, in fact, are a barrier dividing the viewer from the reality of who we are. Rare viewers, who invest deeper and are willing to explore the spaces between, will see what is unavailable to most. How do others perceive us and how long can you know someone before they truly expose themselves to you? This exploration was an experiment into how we as a society allow others to view us, what our true nature is, and when and where we open ourselves to others.
To add richness to the themes CROMMAEA addresses, Biffert and Gorski sat down with sociologist, communication coach, and author Dr. Jennifer Gunsaullus for a digital interview. The three discuss mindfulness, authenticity, and the facets of ourselves we choose to conceal or reveal as we curate our online identities. “As we have thoughts and emotions and worries and fears, we can kindly, compassionately train our brains to pay more attention in the present moment and not judge what’s going on,” Dr. Gunsaullus explains at the opening of the conversation.
Pilchuck Gallery Seattle
