Yesterday, a man walked into the Stamp Gallery at Stamp Student Union where New York-based artist Derick Melander was preparing to present his new exhibition to a crowd of about 40 students and faculty.
After examining a life-sized rectangular pillar made entirely of clothing, “Social Mobility,” the man turned to the gallery attendant.
“Where should I drop off my laundry?” he asked.
Melander’s visit to the Stamp Gallery involved him delivering his geometric configurations of stacked and folded secondhand clothing.
At his first solo exhibition, which premiered yesterday and will run through Dec. 11, Melander brought nine sculptures, 10 drawings and a video that communicated ideas of community, personal narrative, accessibility and textile waste.
“Derick’s work is a lot about community and our society and social issues,” said Megan Rook-Koepsel, the graduate assistant for the Stamp Gallery. “He takes these pieces of clothing which are really symbolic of personal issues that we deal with every day. When he puts all of these pieces together, they become a portrait of the community, and that is a powerful concept for a university and for students who are coming together in this place as a community.”
Far from simple installations of cast-off clothing, Melander’s sculptures, typically weighing between 500 pounds and two tons, are spectacles of human consumption and personal narrative.
Melander systematically arranges his materials according to various color schemes.
“I enjoyed seeing the different hues of color and the gradation of value,” said Manique Buckmon, a senior art history major and gallery attendant. “His works are really aesthetically pleasing.”
Melander’s works aim to challenge their audience into thinking about the stories that clothes tell and their relation to the world around them.
“The issues behind the things that we deal with when we dress ourselves are very much about identity and searching for identity, which is a pursuit that is important to university students,” Rook-Koepsel said. “His work speaks to a student’s perspective and the university as a community.”
Melander specially designed his latest piece, “Social Mobility,” for this exhibition. It’s a sculpture that is designed to physically bring art to the university community.
No longer will students have to take time out of their schedules to visit the Stamp Gallery: Program Coordinator Jackie Milad, Rook-Koepsel and Melander have designed a way to bring art to students.
“I want my staff to take the work around the building and play around with incongruous locations,” said Milad.
Melander said that he enjoys breaking the wall between the artist and viewer and that art can sometimes be more appreciated when seen in an unexpected way.
“I think that sometimes art, when you trip over it and don’t experience it in the place where you are expected to experience it, can sometimes take you off guard,” he said. “You might be able to have a more pure reaction to it.”
While the idea of placing a sculpture in surprising places may seem outlandish, there is a method to the madness.
But how interesting will this piece be to students who are not artistically inclined?
“The general campus community might think it’s a little funny,” said sophomore studio art major Sarah Janssen. “They might think it’s what their mother pulls out of the laundry room when she is finished washing their clothes. I think you have to have a little bit of an appreciation for it. People that are interested in it should be able to at least ask and think about it a little bit. It provokes thought.”
Regardless of its interpretation, Melander is humbled to be able to share his works with the university.
“I hope my work would be impactful enough for people to be dazzled but at the same time linger long enough to think about what it all means. I want them to think about all the experiences that are embodied in the clothing and their own relationship to clothing and to my work.”
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