Jennifer Wilkey
Art
Procedures, 2007
The Procedure Series is a sequential series of videos that explore the experience of a hospital patient, both mentally and physically. The word procedure refers to a medical act preformed on or to the patient. Repetitive acts and seemingly long durations allude to the experience of the hospital stay and serve as a distraction from the illness. The action is subtle with static shots that allow for focus on a single movement or act. The world created exists between that of reality and the surreal.
Hospital Gallery
Monotony, repetition, and duration of my craft explore the longevity of illness and the feeling of sameness associated with being in the hospital. While enclosed in a hospital room, life continues on in the outside world and in a sense, passes the patient by. Time becomes an element that exists in a slow motion within the hospital and is hurrying by beyond its doors.
Body Studies
The body is a powerful being with the ability and resilience to withstand much abuse and violence. Surgery, while a form of repair, is stressful and shocking to the body. The body is pushed and pulled, cut and put back together. Similarly, the materials used in my work relate to the process. They are stressed, taken apart, put back together and, in effect, reflect the surgical process. The materials are used as a way of expressing the body’s process of healing.
Pill Gallery
Pills can be viewed as representations of specific people. They come in a variety of styles, shapes, sizes, and colors. No two medications have the same characteristics, so as to prevent misuse. There are implied relationships between a few individual pills and groups of them. Also, the pills can have a variety of effects on people’s lives and identity whether positive, negative, or neutral.