by Danielle Bloch
Daily Lobo
Shannon Hayes questions the meaning of dreams in her art show, "An Attempt to Contain."
Although Hayes is a third-year Fine Arts graduate student in printmaking, her installation at The Walls contains three different mediums of art.
"I am trying to deal with memories and how memories are sort of hidden," Hayes said.
These ideas about memories stem from her childhood growing up in New York. She said her parents instilled her with the value of self-sufficiency as they maintained an extensive garden and also hunted animals.
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The source of inspiration for using plant life came from Hayes' shock of moving from the green landscapes of New York to the New Mexico desert.
The uncertainty of dreams is represented by the murky fluid in glass jars. She achieved that look by placing water, silk dye, seeds and plants into the jars and exposing them to the air until the fluid in the jars became moldy. Then she added mineral oil to stop the molding process and sealed the container.
"The prints are similar to the jars," Hayes said. "The prints were produced before the jars, and so I think they inspired and informed the completion of the jars. Many of the prints are also dealing with memories in a more abstract way. The prints also have natural elements and seeds represented in them."
Many of the jars have the word "seed" written in them. Hayes said she's been obsessed with the word and its definition. For example, "Pods in Heaven" references gardens and her family's relationship with the natural world.
She used several different techniques in her prints including etching, lithography, serigraphy, hand coloring, monotype and collage. Her prints contain a variety of combinations of these art processes.
Hayes explained the function of the leaves installation, which is constructed of clay, chicken wire and fabric as a reflection on her relationship with her father.
"It's a very fragile and mysterious relationship. I'm constantly trying to understand and communicate how I feel about my father."
Who: Shannon Hayes
When: Through Feb. 28,
Tuesdays 4-7 p.m.,
Thursdays 9-11 a.m. and Saturdays 3-7 p.m.
Where: The Walls
510 Central Ave.
How
much: Free
