Lines Drawn in the Sand
Mixed media installation
2006

Absence is both a theme and formal device in a topographically charged map representing complex levels of power seen through the physical variations of heights in the sand. Indeed, this installation through which the spectator navigates made from the impress of figurines and symbols in the sand depicts elaborate war scenes and symbols suggestive of their cause. What remains is an absent presence: the visible remains of impression that endures despite the removal of all bodies from a space whose symbol-laden topography in turn suggests a second absent presence -- that of history and the conflicts it memorializes, perpetuates and preserves. As such, the work can be seen to draw lines that are both literal and metaphoric, artistic and political, ancient and contemporary.