Don Narcomey's Fault Lines
September 7 - October 27, 2007
For Fault Lines, Don Narcomey created vessels based in the tradition of woodworking that include curves, bends and material imperfections, resulting in uniquely modern sculptural forms. Narcomey’s work in Fault Lines was made of found wood indigenous to Oklahoma. “I draw references from my environment as well as the materials that I work with to create a correlation between those things and our everyday lives,” Narcomey said.
Fault Lines was part of Untitled’s year of Oklahoma-related exhibitions in honor of Oklahoma’s State Centennial.
"I guess you could say that I am a materials person. I tend to draw inspiration from the materials that I am working with, noticing how some chunk of wood or some piece of metal or slab of stone reminds me of some aspect of human experience. Lately I have found myself intrigued by materials that have defects, problems, or faults in one way or another that have to be addressed but at the same time have a tremendous amount of grace and perseverance to them. As I work with these materials I feel like I am giving them a renewed life, and the materials themselves not only tell their own story but also help me tell mine."
- Don Narcomey, artist
Accompanied by
Josh Buss: Roger Mills County
ROGER MILLS COUNTY BY OKLAHOMA PHOTOGRAPHER JOSH BUSS FEATURED MEDIUM FORMAT FILM PHOTOGRAPHY AND A CRISP, REALISTIC STYLE THAT RECORDED THE PEOPLE AND LANDSCAPES OF ROGER MILLS COUNTY. BUSS STATED ABOUT HIS WORK, “ROGER MILLS COUNTY IS A PLACE LARGELY SHAPED BY PEOPLE WHO NO LONGER LIVE THERE. DURING THE PAST ONE HUNDRED YEARS, THE POPULATION OF THE COUNTY HAS DECLINED FROM 12,000 TO 3,000. THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE OF THE PEOPLE AND THINGS THAT REMAIN.” ROGER MILLS COUNTY WAS PART OF UNTITLED’S YEAR OF OKLAHOMA-RELATED EXHIBITIONS IN HONOR OF OKLAHOMA’S STATE CENTENNIAL.
I have spent the past eighteen months traveling to Roger Mills County to photograph her land and the people who live on it. During that time I have developed a strong appreciation for the vast expansiveness of both. The residents of Roger Mills are tied to the land in a way that is uncommon in modern America and both visibly wear the marks of the other.
Roger Mills County is a place largely shaped by people who no longer live there. During the past one hundred year the population of the county has declined from 12,000 to 3,000. These photographs are of the people and things that remain. Although the county is mostly empty it is not wilderness. None of the land has remained unplowed or undrilled. This combination of man’s all encompassing touch combined with the lack of man has made the county a unique place. Through these photographs I hope to reveal the unusual beauty that I have discovered.
To make these photographs I used a medium format film camera. The relative bulkiness forced me to work in a slow and methodical way. Most of the photographs were taken from a tripod. Whether I was shooting a portrait or a landscape the slow pace made me consider my subject in a very careful manner. When photographing people I spend very little time actually shooting. Most of my time is spent getting to know them and building rapport.
- Josh Buss, Artist
Visit his blog and see more from the Roger Mills County collection.