Charts
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RomCom Chart [1934-2009], 2010-2011
Vinyl print, 4' x 14'
RomCom Chart [1984-2009], 2011
Vinyl print, 4' x 14'
Flowchart of Online Dating, 2010-2011
Vinyl print, 4' x 10'9"
Female Artists, Marriage, and MOMA, 2011
Vinyl print, 4' x 9' plus six 1' squares
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The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) |
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990-2000) |
Ellen (1994-1998) |
FRIENDS (1994-2004) |
Sex and the City (1998-2004) |
The Hills (2006-2010) |
Gossip Girl (2007-2012) |
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Patterns and rhythms fascinate me. Long attracted to visual patterns – from wallpaper and fabrics to natural forms created by erosion to rhythms that follow the sun and moon - in this work I turned toward the social construction of romance.
I am struck by the unmistakable patterns in relationships initiated online. As a recent participant, I observed systems of messaging, meeting, calling, kissing, and breaking up - and it became clear that the media has affected the way I view my personal relationships. I created an archive of my experiences, and organized it into a flow chart. By abstracting my personal life, I saw the intersection of my experience, my own rules for dating, and the influence of the media. I became eerily able to predict the future of my online relationships.
As I looked more closely into the differences between dating in real life and dating in pop culture, I began to analyze and chart other systems and patterns – in romantic comedy films, sitcoms, and in the lives of women artists. I juxtaposed romantic comedies and sitcoms based upon common tropes, which allowed me to see their influence upon my expectations for a relationship – without the distraction of individual scenes between actors pretending to be in love. Looking to determine whether marriage would affect my career, I began to analyze the lives of other women artists. Though I could determine a few generalities, ultimately the patterns in women's lives broke down and my expectations were confounded. Using these charts to anticipate my own life patterns, I am assured that my success as an artist and happiness as a romantic partner are not predictable.