Rebecca Weed - an "Experience" at the ZACC

It is always a pleasure to see & experience Rebecca Weeds drawings.  "Experience ? I thought you just looked at art?"  Well, lo and behold, art can produce a fuller, integrated experience that goes beyond the passive and dualistic viewer/ artwork separation. 

Weed's drawings accomplish this feat in a few ways. Most obviously, is the drawings are made of multiple layers of tracing paper, fastened only at the top. Therefore they move when someone walks by or the air moves. When viewing smaller artworks it is easy to feel like an outside onlooker; but the movement and large scale of these drawings creates a presence and becomes more of the viewers' immediate spatial experience.  Time is another important factor as it is implied by the content and the physical movement of the drawings.  The images and the implied time gives the viewer a  conceptual departure point to create meaning, in turn engaging them even deeper.

There are two drawings that address "time" through sequential imagery. One titled " I Hate Pink" is of a young girl frantically ripping off a pink dress and then stomping on it. Another "Shower Scene" depicts a woman showering.  The content of "Shower Scene" lacks in the humor of the first, but is an elegantly drawn and intimate view into an experience many take for granted.

Adding to the experience, Weed's use of layered tracing paper allows for the discovery of new images.  For example,  when the piece "Archer" moves, an image of an archer comes in and out of focus, and on the back layer a wolf is revealed.  Another piece reveals an image of swimmer fit with goggles and a swim cap.  These revelations so to speak provide the viewer with constantly changing imagery adding yet another level to the experience.

In conclusion, Weed's use of of material and stylistic drawing technique makes for a great art show that will engage you in more ways than one. I encourage you all to go to the ZACC and check it out!

More pics after the jump

 Swimmer

Swimmer Detail

Appropriate Steps

Appropriate Steps - detail 1

Appropriate Steps - detail 2