Dwelling

"Dwelling" is an immense 11' by 21' digital print that reproduces the side of an apartment building in Manhattan. It recreates the sense of scale one experiences in relation to the large buildings of New York. It also feeds voyeuristic impulses by giving viewers the chance to stare unabashedly at private apartment balconies. The railings and windows are lined with digitally inserted owl decoys. Although such decoys are commonly used in New York City to scare away pigeons, they provide a foreboding and surprising barrier, standing guard and surprising those who think they are looking in secret.

The owls are a humorous metaphor for the way people protect their urban plots from each other, from nature, and from outside threats - a not uncommon instinct in this time of code orange alerts.

10'6" x 16', 2003