Detail 1: Old Zoo
Belle Isle: Land Reclamation
2013
Interactive drawing in charcoal and paper with found materials: plastic, glass, bricks, trash
8’ x 20’ x 10’
As part of the group exhibition Emerging Artists: Detroit, curated by Anne Rubin, Gallery One, Washtenaw Community College
Full view of drawing and floor sculpture
“In Belle Isle: Land Reclamation, visitors are invited to record their memories of the island on sheets of paper. Adjacent to these personal memoirs is a large-scale, hand-drawn charcoal rendition of an aerial image of Belle Isle from 1949. On the floor sits a topographic model of the 985-acre island assembled from trash found on walks there. Highlighting the human need to construct and change nature, the artist notes “You are standing on Belle Isle. The ground was placed there by people like you; the flora cultivated by another person. We create and consume, destroy and renew.” Belle Isle: Land Reclamation juxtaposes memory, experience, and nature with the urge to narrate cultural history.”
— Curator Nadja Rottner’s wall label text for Andy T’s Urban Vision
Detail 1: Old Zoo
Detail 2: MacArthur Bridge
Detail 3: Detroit Yacht Club
“You’re standing on Belle Isle. The ground below you was placed there by a person such as yourself. Around you the grass, trees, and flowers were cultivated by another person. The litter strewn about from the prevailing winds and caught in the trees and grass were once held in the grasp of yet another person. That litter, permanent packaging produced by people, once housed food and drink made by people. As we create we consume. As we consume we destroy and make anew. Over time we shall see what is held on to and what will be blown away by the wind.”
— Original statement about the work
Detail 4: Blue Heron Lagoon
The large charcoal drawing on the gallery wall depicts Detroit's Belle Isle Park as seen from aerial photographs in 1949. Accompanying the drawing is a low-lying floor arrangement of found materials from Belle Isle, placed to mimic the shape of the island. Gallery goers are invited to share their stories and thoughts about Belle Isle much like a real-time real-space version of a comments section to an online article or news report.
— Andy T
Detail 5: The Strand