averylawrence.com

Medium Dead

Medium Dead
2019 - 2023
East Market Building, Philadelphia, PA

Medium Dead is a series of sculptural tableaux featuring life-size figures modeled after push puppet toys. Made of construction lumber and durable house paint, these figures maintain their poses through an internal network of ropes, just like their tabletop antecedents.

The push puppet is a crudely articulated abstraction of a subject. It is a fake take on a real thing: a figure broken into pieces that occasionally collapses and persistently rebuilds. Like all puppets, the push puppet is an object that turns into a subject with the flick of a wrist, the tug of a string, a suspension of disbelief. Specific to push puppets, a network of internal strings and springs prime the object for animation. Unlike most puppets, push puppets at rest are stiff and erect. When pushed, they perform through collapse. I make mine big to put them in conversation with the history of monumental, figurative sculpture. Unlike traditional figurative statues, however, my push puppets are walking the dog, drinking coffee, riding the stationary bike. They offer mundanity as antidote to the monumental. The figures re-present certain scenes from our lives and offer us a moment to reconnect with our own experiences and each other.
credits
Steph Dobosh - installer
Michael Lawrence - workshop proprietor
Gene Salley - workshop proprietor
Emily Corazón Nelson Lawrence - support and ideas
A photograph of two people walking past a window display featuring multiple life-size, wooden sculptures that look like push puppet toys.
[This photograph documents an exhibition of Avery’s life-size, push puppet-style, wooden sculptures called Medium Dead. The sculptures are in two street-side window displays. Two people walk past. In the display on the left, in front of a purple curtain backdrop, the push puppet figure holds two dogs on leash. In the display on the right, in front of a red curtain backdrop, the two push puppets look like boxers that lean into each other.]
A photograph of two life-size, wooden sculptures painted to look like boxers that are leaning into each other. The figures resemble push puppet toys.
[A photograph of Boxers. Two life-sized push puppets are painted to look like boxers. They have collapsed into each other, cheek to cheek, chest to chest, arms pulled straight down by the weight of chunky, red boxing gloves. The paint suggests the figure on the left has brown skin and light blue shorts, while the figure on the right has pink skin and dark green shorts. Both wear light cream socks and shoes. A red curtain backdrop hangs behind them. By the reflections and shadows, it's apparent that the boxers are situated right behind a large window. ]
A closeup photograph of the heads and necks of two life-size, wooden sculptures painted to look like boxers that are leaning into each other. The figures resemble push puppet toys.
[A detail photograph of Boxers that more clearly shows the texture of the wood, the sheen of the paint, and the quality of the black, cartoony lines that define these life-sized push puppet sculptures. In front of a red curtain, their heads, painted brown and pink, rest against each other. They kiss or whisper or both. Just visible at the bottom of the photograph are the white ropes that link their body parts together.]
A photograph of two life-size, wooden sculptures painted to look like people sitting at a table, drinking coffee and looking at a phone. The figures resemble push puppet toys.
[A photograph of Morning Coffee. This tableau of two life-sized push puppets presents a kitchen table scene. The paint suggests that the figure on the right has brown skin, a red shirt, and chartreuse pants. The figure on the left is painted to have pink skin, a blue shirt, and light brown pants. Black cartoon lines define their ears and eyes. A wooden potted plant sits on their table. A green curtain backdrop hangs behind them. The reflections and shadows reveal that the figures are behind a large window.]
A closeup photograph of the wooden sculpture painted to look like a person sitting at a kitchen table. The figure, painted to have pink skin, resembles a push puppet toy.
[This detail photograph of Morning Coffee more clearly shows the head-back posture of the seated figure, the surface texture of the wood, and the ropes that hold the sculpture together. In front of a green curtain, the figure has thrown his head back. He no longer sees what is on his phone. His pink skin glistens in the sun. The ropes that sustain him terminate in a disordered mess below his chair.]
A photograph of a life-size, wooden sculpture painted to look like a person walking two dogs in a window display. The person and the dogs resemble push puppet toys.
[This tableau, called Dog Walker, has a life-size push puppet that looks like a child walking two small dogs. One dog only has three legs. The paint suggests that the figure has beige skin, brown hair, a light blue shirt, and red pants. The dogs are painted light brown and white. Black dots inside white ovals define their eyes. The figure stands to the right of a black street light, styled like a push puppet. The way the figure connects to the street light, she seems to need its stability. A purple curtain backdrop hangs behind them. By the reflections and shadows, we can tell that the figures are behind a large window.]
A photograph from the backside of a life-size, wooden sculpture painted to look like a person walking two dogs in a window display. The person and the dogs resemble push puppet toys.
[Seen from inside the window display, the sun has silhouetted the life-size push puppet that looks like a child walking two small dogs. The figure and the dogs are reflected in the window but we see only glimpses of their doubles. Haze and smudges coat the window. Beyond the window are gray and black architecture with moments of graffiti.]
comments