Cate Striplin- blog assignment #2

Travis Townsend's "ideas rebuilt in my garage while contemplating good and evil" was an intriguing show to say the least. A bustling room of enamored students, all paying particular attention to the intricacies of the exhibit. Built and rebuilt, seemingly-workable gadgets and colorful cloud-like weapons of mass destruction deeply confuse the psyche of the viewer. Travis Townsend is on to something. The exhibits incongruent yet cohesive style leads you to wander into the world of the artists chaotic mind only after feeling for the little birdies and wee families that inhabited the space in time long past. Tiny scribbles, interior scenes, signs of a rich history all but forgotten decorate the tiniest wall spaces on his contraptions. Wood, paint, charcoal and rope stand out as the main contributors in the creation of Travis' pieces. All the futuristic, yet elementary, machinery lines the walls of Haas Gallery. Linked together by color scheme and material... and little birdies. I was taken by one piece, probably the simplest of all.

"Gathering/Blocked Cloud" is a piece in the show that is almost missable. Being taken by mammoth assortments of collaged war vehicles, "Gathering/Blocked Cloud" served as a breath in the noise of the surrounding pieces. Tiny simplistic four-legged wooden chairs all serve as an audience to a little bird that is sketched on the wall. A single tall latter reaches up to the birdie offering a way down or perhaps a means up to a nice view, or an uncertain death. It is a thought provoking piece. Much more said in this one, with many fewer words. The unassuming runt of the bunch.

This exhibit was not what I had expected. The pieces had a much more home-made, crafty type feel than that of what I was expecting. I was not displeased.

Travis Townsends work was everything he said. He thoroughly embraces the "unplanned... oddly familiar, nearly useful-looking sculptures" and brings them to life. The "previous inhabitants" are apparent and their remanence creates an undeniable past that proves on a subconscious level that each piece has existed at a previous time and place. Each piece as I moved around the room was slightly more convincing than the last, solidifying the work as a whole as valid and curious. I began unsure of the sketching on the wall, and the carnival colors, but by the exiting piece I was convinced and drawn back in for round two.