Reclaimed blankets, reclaimed cedar, steel I-beam
Dimensions variable
Courtesy of the artist and Catharine Clark Gallery
About
Skywalker/Skyscraper: Forest (2021), was inspired by Marie Watt’s move to Brooklyn, and her discovery that the border of Cobble Hill and Gowanus (the locations of her home and studio, respectively) was “where Iroquois ironworkers and their families settled in the 1950s, when most of Manhattan’s skyscrapers were being built.” Watt remarks, “These Iroquois were called ‘skywalkers’ due to their ability to work on the high steel without safety harnesses.” Her use of blankets is an ode to her Indigenous heritage, as she notes that “in Indigenous communities,” such as the Seneca Nation, “blankets are given away to honor those who are witness to important life events.” The words “mother mother” and “father father” reflect Watt’s view of the need to understand our relatedness in response to current social and political events such as The Black Lives Matter movement, the fight for climate justice, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Watt asks, “Can saying a word, like mother, change our relationship to a concept? Can certain words prompt us to consider our relatedness or interconnectedness, not just in the present moment, but backward and forward in time?”
Location
These works are on display in the Cottage Gallery, located near Parking Lot 2. The Cottage Gallery will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 10am–2pm (or by appointment). If you would like to make an appointment, please email lap_programs@montalvoarts.org.
