VertiCall, 2016
During the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, I knelt in empathy with Muslims 3 times a day in a 28-day performance. Inspired by the patterns of middle-eastern prayer rugs, I traced my posture of prostration onto 60 feet of paper to explore the disciplines of meditation and drawing. I animated these drawings into an immersive “prayer rug” on the gallery floor. The gallery skylight is outlined in motion-sensitive LEDs that illuminate when viewers approach, symbolizing the activation of silent supplication by the presence of mind and body.
Chimes, “Joyce Yu-Jean Lee presents ‘Verti-Call’ to art gallery,” October 14, 2016