Default Blue and Cleansing Light

Abstract

While employed as a custodian, I developed a detailed knowledge of the building I cleaned – where to find hidden outlets, dusty crevices, and secret doors to air duct chambers. As an artist who works site-specifically, I gain an understanding of a space in a similar manner as a custodian by projection-mapping and arranging objects in accordance with the edges and cracks of the space. Through this process, I am looking for and caring about the overlooked bits and unnoticed features. I cherish the banal and seek to transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. In this thesis paper, I explore the relationship between my roles as a custodian and artist, examine my process of producing work, and discuss my treatment of materials. I am building on a history of color theory, site-specific installation, and the use of found objects and video.