Associated Impressions

2018
cast brass
7 x 4 feet
 

Associated Impressions is an installation that I created at the Kohler Co. factory during Arts/Industry, a residency program of the John Michael Kohler Arts Center. This wall installation is a collection of enlarged fingerprints from some of the factory associates who helped me out during my 3-month stay in Wisconsin.

The Arts/Industry residency allows artists to work in the Kohler factory with access to industrial materials, equipment, space, and instruction. During my time in the Foundry, I became close to many people who work there. I loved listening to their personal stories, as well as the anecdotal accounts of the history of the factory and the Kohler company. 

This installation aims to show the many hands involved in creating a single artwork, and it is my thank you letter to the wonderful factory associates who offered me their assistance, advice, and support. These people work with their hands, and their fingerprints evolve over time by wearing away or taking on scars. I wanted to take things as ephemeral as their fingerprints and as fleeting as the memories of my 3-month residency, and capture them permanently in brass. 

Associated Impressions is part of Kohler Co.'s permanent art collection. It will travel to different locations as a temporary installation and will eventually find its home in the cast iron foundry building in the Kohler factory.

More Information:

 

PROCESS VIDEO: Arts/Industry Residency

photos and video courtesy of Arts/Industry