»Suburban Meditation« 
Light Box
Light Box
© by consent of Salt Lake Art Center.; Salt Lake Art Center 2009
Keywords
Information
Patrick Lichty >
»Suburban Meditation«, 2003 - 2009
Co-Workers & Funding:
Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans, Louisiana Arts Council Mini-Grant, Salt Lake Arts Center,.http://artpulsemagazine.com/all-american-defining-ourselves-in-a-time-of-change
Technology
Installation Requirements / Space
3.5x3.5 m space, astroturf, stones, video projection, plastic furniture, reflecting balls, audio amplification.Interface
Footswitch activated or ambient play - current version uses Raspberry Pi (2022)Material
Astroturf, stones, Lawn ornaments, Plastic Furniture, Lawnmower, Audiovisual projection/display, doormat with footswitch.Sound
Mix of live lawnmowing, combined with lrecorded live Buddhist chant, 2002, Kyoto. 2 channel stereo.
Descriptions & Essays
Patrick Lichty 09-03-2022
Suburban Meditation (2003-2009) This installation is a commentary on the worship of materiaism in American Suburbia, The inspiration dedrives from the weekly practice of lawn mowing in suburban Baton Rouge Louisiana after visiting the Ryoan-Ji Zen gardens of Kyoto. The drone of the mower mirrored a materialist chant of the Buudhist monks, and the circular motions reminiscent of the raking of stones.
The installation consisted of an "American" materialist Zen garden of astroturf, stones, reflecting balls, plastic furniture, and the mower. On the large format TV or projection (Salt Lake City) an analogue capture from the mower's point of view as the artist went on his rounds, also shredding artifacts of material culture as he went.
This work was at the Das Wunderkammer exhibition at Barristers' Gallery in New Orleans (2003) and the "All American" exhibition at the Salt Lake City Art Center in 2009.
Patrick Lichty: Suburban Meditation, 09-03-2022, in: Archive of Digital Art Suburban Meditation (2003-2009) This installation is a commentary on the worship of materiaism in American Suburbia, The inspiration dedrives from the weekly practice of lawn mowing in suburban Baton Rouge Louisiana after visiting the Ryoan-Ji Zen gardens of Kyoto. The drone of the mower mirrored a materialist chant of the Buudhist monks, and the circular motions reminiscent of the raking of stones.
The installation consisted of an "American" materialist Zen garden of astroturf, stones, reflecting balls, plastic furniture, and the mower. On the large format TV or projection (Salt Lake City) an analogue capture from the mower's point of view as the artist went on his rounds, also shredding artifacts of material culture as he went.
This work was at the Das Wunderkammer exhibition at Barristers' Gallery in New Orleans (2003) and the "All American" exhibition at the Salt Lake City Art Center in 2009.
Literature
news, Deseret. »‘All American’ plays with tradition at Salt Lake Art Center.« Deseret News (July 2009).
despain, Cara. »All American: Defining Ourselves in a Time of Change.« Artpulse Magazine (July 2009).
McCash, Doug. »Review: Das Wunderkammer.« New Orleans Gambit Magazine (March 2003 2003).
McCash, Doug. »Review: Das Wunderkammer.« New Orleans Gambit Magazine (March 2003 2003).
Exhibitions & Events