NOT RECONCILED
Not Reconciled: First and Third / In Other Words, 1987/1991
First exhibited Whitney Museum, 1987. On-going series
The impetus for this series was a reflection on some of the theoretical perspectives around the notions
of ‘history’ and ‘the construction of subjectivity’ as it differs among various cultures. First and Third,
the first project in this series, grew out of my interest in narrative as a means of negotiating ideological
differences between immigrant expectations and the contradictory messages of the American Dream
with its promises of equality, personal freedom and so on.
In 1987 I was invited to participate in the Whitney Biennial with a video installation. The sites offered
were the 4 th floor stairwell or bathroom, not the main exhibition space. The stories that comprise first and
third were drawn from conversations with people from many different ethnicities to underscore the lack
of representation of ‘non-white, and ‘non-male’ persons (those most associated with immigrant status)
within the Whitney Biennale. By trompe l’oeiling the projector housing to match the limestone walls of
the stairwell, making use of the diffuse nature of video projection, and adding a 30 second pause between
each story – it seemed as though the walls of the Whitney were suddenly speaking. In this way, the work
functioned as a form of agit prop.
Subsequently I have realized projects, each with a very different theme, in several other cities including London, Rotterdam, Corscia and currently, Cairo. See Judith Barry articles in October 75 and October 123, MIT Press, Cambridge 1995 and 2008, respectively
In situ documentation
Related publications:
First and Third, Judith Barry, Download Link
Space of Fantasy, Brian Wallis, Download Link
Casual-Shopper, Judith Barry, Download Link
Spectacle & Subjectivity, Johanna Drucker, Download Link
Public Fantasy, Brian Wallis, Download Link
Articulate Spatial Projections, Gary Sangster, Download Link