Nohra Haime Gallery exhibition: The Ravelled Edge
The Ravelled Edge by Beth Lipman is a site-responsive installation for the windows at Nohra Haime Gallery, open September 2 – November 7, 2021.
The Ravelled Edge reflects on this transitional moment, on the precipice of the existential threat of climate change. The installation occurs within the architectural space of two windows that paradoxically propose wilderness and domesticity. Glass, clay, wood, metal, and fresh cut flowers invite the viewer into a delicate ecosystem. The meditation on impermanence is made visible through the juxtaposion of geological and human time scales.
In one window, the viewer finds herself reflected underneath a sprawling root system as if buried in an unknown terrain, alluding to our intrinsic connection to the earth. The adjacent window depicts a bouquet of cut flowers on a table, a nod to the domicile and traditional vanitas. The natural flowers wilt over time, their decay contrasting with the immortal glass flora found above the root system in the paired window. While there is growth, there is also a dark exploration of decay.
Both vignettes are woven together with glass and carved grid patterns that references both wall marking and wall paper, asking us to consider our position along that continuum. The vitrine-like installation subverts the commercial function of most New York City windows. The work is completed by the incorporation of the flaneur’s reflection as they walk past the installation.