On the Cover

Ellen Carey Pulls with Mixed & Off-Set Pods, 2010

top Polaroid 20 X 24 color positive prints YRGB 80H x 22W (80H x 88W overall unframed)
bottom Polaroid 20 X 24 color negatives prints GBRY 80H x 22W each (80H x 88W overall unframed)
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
All images contained in this publication are copyright protected by Ellen Carey.
Used with permission of the artist.
January 9 February 20, 2014
Let There Be Light:
The Black Swans of Ellen Carey
Introduction
When ve Iook al arl, ve lry lo hnd a conneclion lo il. We go
lhrough a series of inlernaI inquiries based on images Ianled in our
minds from lhe very hrsl lime ve icked u a crayon as smaII chiI!
dren. We have been moIded by our leachings lhrough lime lo make
carefuI seIeclions lhal aIign vilh videIy acceled sociaI and cuIluraI
|uslihcalions. LIIen Carey brings us back lo lhal re-moIded |unclure
rior lo lhe rogression of concels derived from olhers. Wnci ij |
!cni ccmp|cic" inc prcccss? Wnci ij inc prcccss iisc|j is inc cn! ic inc
mccn? Carey exIores lhe darkroom in a manner in such oosilion
lo lradilionaI holograhy lhal her sludio shouId be referred lo as
a Iighl room. She manages lo conceluaIize lvo of lhe lhings ve
need lo survive in lhis vorId, dark and Iighl, lo bring forlh slriking
imagery lhal breaks dovn lhe menlaI barriers ve have come lo
accel over lime.
From the Artist
Queslions frequenlIy asked aboul my vork incIude: Hov is
lhis iclure made` foIIoved by Whal is lhis a iclure of` The hrsl
queslion addresses holograhy as rocess. The holograhic ob|ecl
oflen invoIves an inlerseclion of rocess and invenlion, as does lhe
raclice of holograhy ilseIf. In lradilionaI holograhy, bolh lhe
rocess and lhe invenlion are lransarenl, mere means lo an end.
In my vork lhe rocess |cccmcs lhe sub|ecl. The second queslion
addresses lhe conundrum of a holograhic image uiincui a iclure
or a sign lo read. These lvo queslions chaIIenge our cuIluraI and
hisloricaIIy rescribed execlalions for lhis medium lo narrale and
documenl, aII vhiIe reveaIing no lrace of ils ovn origins, lhe zero
in my raclice has muIliIe meanings.
The discovery of my !"## in 1996 inlroduced !$%&%'()*$+
-.'(.. /.(%. Il refers lo Wriling Degree Zero by RoIand arlhes,
vhich oers a crilicaI discourse on lhe dearlure from a descrilive
narralive in Irench avanl-garde Iileralure. In reIaled fashion, my
vork reresenls lhe absence of a iclure sign found in Iandscaes,
orlrails and sliII Iife. Inslead, my vork consisls of an image made
vilhoul a sub|ecl, any reference lo a Iace, erson or ob|ecl.
My arl vorks conlain asecls lhal are conceluaIIy Iinked and
informed lhrough visuaI characlerislics, such as lhe shadov and
siIhouelle image seen in lhe ob|ecl as a negalive, referencing lhis
rich hislory. IormaI issues of size and scaIe, in landem vilh aIelle,
creale visuaI imacl. The conlenl-Iaden asecls of my vork are
veighed in, lheir echo is embedded and reaIized in my choices
of melhod and maleriaI, an acknovIedgmenl lhal lhese conlain
symboIs and signs, vhich creale and exlend my arl's meaning.
VisuaI slruclures and lhe ubiquilous codes of lhe circIe (camera
Iens) and square (camera body) underscore my choice lo raclice
holograhy, my images acl as mirrors and melahors, lheir echo is
limeIess, found in my comosilions. IaraIIeI vork emhasizes cc|cr"
lhal il has urose and exisls for a reason. }oyfuI feeIings of crealiv!
ily reecl a disciIine vhere I dig deeer inlo coIor's molher Iode,
revisiling lradilionaI lerms, Iike coIor rocessing, in nev vays.
CoIor is sub|ecl cn! ob|ecl, maleriaI uiin meaning, rocess uiinin
lhe arl. This gives my vork conlexl in lhe reIaliveIy shorl hislory of
coIor holograhy.
As melahor for lhe heId, image;meaning maker, beginning
vilh lhe hologram vherein ob|ecl;aer is IileraIIy;hguraliveIy
0&("12 3+ 45'$& (1992-2O13), lhis names my darkroom raclice.
IoIaroid's hrase See Whal DeveIos araIIeIs my vork (197Os
lo resenl), lhe discovery of my !"##6 creales anolher raclice
!$%&%'()*$+ -.'(.. /.(% (1996-2O13). MonumenlaI holograms
Dings c Snc!cus bIov-u forms using coIor lheory, lhe con!
lenl-Iaden shadov arlners lhe ding, a holograhic laboo.
$% &'( !rcuing uiin |igni Ieads lo my Man Ray discovery (2OO8),
adding subslance and delh lo my arlislic endeavors lhal co-exisl
vilh schoIarshi, research and vriling under my raclice as !51&"6
7 8(5& (2OO8-2O13).
Biography
LIIen Carey (b.1952 ISA) is an educalor, indeendenl schoIar,
guesl curalor, holograher and Iens-based arlisl, vhose vork
uses lhe Iarge-formal IoIaroid 2O X 24 camera (one of hve) lo creale
)*+ '*,,!-(&'( !"##6 and sile-secihc inslaIIalions vilh a araIIeI
raclice in lhe camera-Iess hologram. Her IoIaroid raclice is !$%9
&%'()*$+ -.'(.. /.(% (1996-2O13) and 0&("12 3+ 45'$& (1992-2O13)
hnds lhe hologram, !51&"6 7 8(5& (2OO8-2O13) names her schoIar!
shi and vriling.
Her vork has been lhe sub|ecl of 5O one-erson exhibilions
in museums, aIlernalive saces, gaIIeries (1978-2O13) incIuding
The Wadsvorlh Alheneum Museum of Arl (Malrix-153), ReaI Arl
Ways, Lyman AIIyn Arl Museum, Sainl }oseh Iniversily, ICI;NY
(mid-career survey) and hundreds of grou exhibilions (1974-2O14)
in muIliIe venues: museums (Smilhsonian), aIlernalive saces
(HaIIWaIIs), gaIIeries (LmmanueI Ierrolin) and non-rohl (Aer!
lure). An exlensive bibIiograhy incIudes revievs;essays;arlicIes,
brochures;calaIogs;books, granl highIighls- NLA, CAIS, IoIaroid-
inlervievs on TV (Nulmeg), radio (WNIR), video (Aerlure) she
has documenlary videos !"##6 and :%"(;5;' 8)## lo her credil.
Her arlvorks are in lhe ermanenl coIIeclions of more lhan
2O ma|or holograhy and arl museums: The AIbrighl-Knox Arl
GaIIery (AKAG), George Laslman House, Museum al The Chicago
Arls Inslilule, Iogg Museum al Harvard Iniversily, Los AngeIes
Counly Museum of Arl (LACMA), MelrooIilan Museum of Arl,
Nev rilain Museum of American Arl (NMAA), Smilhsonian
American Arl Museum (SAAM), Whilney Museum of Arl, Wad!
svorlh Alheneum Museum of Arl, YaIe Iniversily Arl GaIIery,
cororale: anana ReubIic, Dov }ones, rivale: LeWill Ioundalion,
Linda Cheverlon-Wick;WaIler Wick, Nancy;Robinson Grover,
books: The IoIaroid CoIIeclions (Taschen), A Cenlury of CoIour:
Irom lhe Aulochrome lo lhe DigilaI by IameIa Roberls (CarIlon
ooks, Lld, London), Innocenl Lye: A Iassionale Look al Conlem!
orary Arl by Ialricia Roso (TueIo Iress), The IoIaroid Years:
Inslanl Iholograhy and Lxerimenlalion by Mary-Kay Lombino,
grou exhibil;lour (IresleI IubIishing), CoIor: American ho!
lograhy lransformed by }ohn Rohrbach, Amon Carler Museum
of American Arl (Iniversily of Texas Iress), The Ldge of Vision:
The Rise of Abslraclion in Iholograhy by LyIe Rexer (Aerlure),
grou exhibil;lour (2OO9-14), he slales:
!"##$% '()$* +, (-.%/ 01+, 2.3%0)*4, -.,0
2.--+00$5 $67$)+-$%0(# 71.0./)(71$),89
Ior her vriling raclice !51&"6 7 8(5&< Carey's hrsl essay
=%#%( :. >.)# for SoI LeWill: 1OO Vievs, his MASS MoCA relro!
seclive, vas ubIished by YaIe Iniversily Iress (2OO9). Her discov!
ery of Man Ray's hidden signalure in his seIf-orlrail holograh
0*)1. 8(5&5;'6 (1935) hnds her (75O) second (2OO9) essay Whal's
in a Irame` The 'Sace Wrilings' of Man Ray ciled in AIias Man
Ray: The Arl of Reinvenlion, The }evish Museum book;exhibil.
nIine: The Smilhsonian (vvv.smilhsoniam.org), Kansas Cily Arl
Inslilule AIumni Nevs, in rinl are Carey inlerviev by Kryslian von
SeideI in VLNI magazine, Man in lhe Mirror, Carey's revised
essay (25O) as Al IIay vilh Man Ray (Aerlure -2O4, 2O11),
GoogIe: Man Ray Discovery;LIIen Carey. In HamIel's Shadov for
The IoIaroid Years: Inslanl Iholograhy and Lxerimenlalion
ubIishes Carey's lhird essay (IresleI IubIishing) for exhibilion;
lour as Norlon Museum of Arl hrsl oening al Vassar CoIIege in
The Irances Lehman Loeb Arl Cenler, Mary-Kay Lombino, curalor
(2O13-14).
LIIen Carey (1983-2O14) is Associale Irofessor of Ihologra!
hy-Harlford Arl SchooI-Iniversily of Harlford (vvv.harlfordarl!
schooI.org) -HAS;IH Con Granl (199O &1991), enl Avard for
Crealivily (199O). Visiling arlisl al ard CoIIege (1995), Loughbor!
ough Iniversily, IK (1999), ICI;NY (1981-83): Queens CoIIege
(198O), aneIs: Abslraclion v; LyIe Rexer (SIL 2OO2), ack lo lhe
Iulure: The Avanl-Garde Is an Address for AKAG, Carey Iec!
lures videIy (1978-2O13), MIA Iholograhy (1976-78) from Slale
Iniversily of Nev York al uaIo (SINYuaIo), minor: arl hislo!
ry-museum sludies (AKAG), IA (1971-75) Kansas Cily Arl Inslilule
(KCAI), Arls Sludenl's League (197O). vvv.2OX24sludio.com, vvv.
eIIencarey.nel, vvv.aerlure.org, GoogIe, }ayne H. aum GaIIery:
info|hbgaIIery.com, Nina Iruedenheim GaIIery (uaIo) ninagaI!
IeryaoI.com, }oseh eIIovs GaIIery, La }oIIa info|osehbeIIovs.
com or ecareyharlford.edu.
Carey Iived in Nev York Cily (1979-94) vhere she vas born
(1952), moving lhere afler receiving her MIA and a CAIS granl, hrsl
exhibiling al IS 1 in The AIlered Image. Her chiIdhood years vere
in Nev York, Chicago, AlIanla and Nev }ersey: Ialer lraveIIing in
America (Soulh, Soulhvesl, Midvesl, Wesl), MiddIe Lasl (Kuvail),
Luroe (Iaris, Ldinburgh, DusseIdorf, CoIogne, DubIin, London,
Nice, Venice), vilh an inleresl in arl vorId deslinalions (Dia: eacon,
The Chinali and }udd Ioundalions, Marfa, TX) and lo cilies for lheir
cuIlure;arl.
LIIen Carey Iives and vorks in Harlford and Nev York. She
vorks on her holograms al }&M Imagevorks and her !"##6 ./
lhe IoIaroid 2O X 24 Sludio (vvv.2OX24sludio.com), her sludio is
lhe hisloric (1926) Indervood Tyevriler Iaclory in lhe IarkviIIe
seclion of Harlford. Her vebsile is vvv.eIIencarey.nel (being
udaled) and can be seen GoogIe, vvv.2OX24sludio.com, or vvv.
aerlure.org. Her arlvorks are reresenled by }ayne H. aum al
info|hbgaIIery.com, Nina Ireudenheim GaIIery, uaIo (NY),
}oseh eIIovs GaIIery (LA }oIIa, CA).
1 2
3 4
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artworks #14:
Iaer holograhy, discovered in 1834 by lhe rilish invenlor,
WiIIiam Henry Iox TaIbol (18OO-1877), and iniliaIIy caIIed holo!
genic draving or sun iclures, evenluaIIy became lhe holo!
gram. The vord 'holograhy' derives from lhe Greek " &+
Iighl, and grcpncin, lo vrile. The Irish name LIIen, vilh CeIlic rools
in GaeIic means bringer of Iighl.
Carey imaginaliveIy revisils lhese lerms in her series
:1.0./$%+2 ;)(<+%/,. Lines of Iighl deIicale lo boId creale
Ellen Carey Photogenic Drawing, 1999
black and white photogram, hand toned, unique
20H x 16W [30H x 26W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Photogenic Drawing, 1999
black and white photogram, hand toned, unique
20H x 16W [30H x 26W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Photogenic Drawing, 1999
black and white photogram, hand toned, unique
20H x 16W [30H x 26W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Penlight, 1999
black and white photogram, hand toned, unique
24H x 20W [34H x 30W framed]
Collection of the artist,
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
sinuous, amorhous forms, bolh organic and suggeslive. y
adding a Iayer of comIexily in her hand-loning, she seIecliveIy
inlroduces a aIelle al once seduclive and surreaIislic. Her cris aII
bIack :$%#+/10, echoing lhe SurreaIisls' game of cuicmciic !rcuing"
viII Iead Carey lo her Man Ray discovery. These images conslilule a
more robusl invesligalion inlo abslraclion vhiIe marking an end lo
Carey's bIack;vhile darkroom rinling as she lurned nexl lo coIor.
5
6
7
Ellen Carey Ray Bands, 2003
color photogram triptych R/G/B 20H x 16W each [29.5H x 58.5W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Neo-Ops, 2003
color photogram triptych RC/GM/BY 24H x 20W each [34H x 70W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Ray Bands, 2003
color photogram triptych Y/M/C 20H x 16W each [29.5H x 58.5W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Object Description for
Artworks #57:
In 2OOO Carey's research on lhe hislory of coIor holograhy
began vilh TaIbol's conlemorary, Anna Alkins (1799-1871), lhe
hrsl voman holograher and lhe hrsl voman lo use coIor, a
Irussian bIue, from lhe cyanolye rocess invenled by Sir }ohn
HerscheI. Alkins' bolanicaI sludies embedded lhis bIue inlo
lhe hologram or sun iclure, as il vas aIso knovn, lhereby
inlegraling lvo searale rocesses lhal vouId evenluaIIy inform
Carey's ovn coIor hologram rinling.
Ior Carey, an Alkins cyanolye served as a recursor lo
minimaI and abslracl imagery in ils reduclive comosilion and
sohislicaled Iacemenl vis--vis o-frame sace. lher obser!
valions incIude visuaI imacl, underscored lhrough Alkins' uid
and deIicale vriling and cursive geslures, naming her bolanicaI
sludies. This Iaces her vork al lhe forefronl of conceluaI
vord arl and Iine-as-oen form, seen in }ackson IoIIock's
ainlings.
Carey's crealive endeavors oflen begin vilh a queslion:
Whal does a 21sl cenlury abslracl and;or minimaI coIor
hologram Iook Iike` She resonds vilh lhe =(* >(%5, and
?$.@A7, in vhich Iighl and coIor= inlersecl lhrough verlicaI Iine
and gIoving aflerimage. The brighl aIelle exresses characler!
islics secihc lo lhe medium lhrough holograhic coIor lheory.
Her saluraled hues of hard-edged geomelries o oul vilh a
sofl-edged briIIiance lhal highIighls lhese risline, one of a kind
comosilions.
8
Ellen Carey Dings & Shadows, 2012
color photograms hexaptych R/G/B/Y/M/C 40H x 30W each [40H x 180W overall]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
abslracl comosilions exisl vilhin a aIelle lhal maximizes ho!
lograhic lheory. Surfaces made lense and dense vilh visceraI in!
lervenlions calure shadovs from lhe dings. Dramalic forms
doubIe lhe muIliIe lvisls and lurns of lhe arlisl in lhe darkroom.
CoIors faII randomIy and in chance encounlers as unexecled
conneclions emerge in IayfuI and overIaing exosures on lhe
hysicaI ob|ecl Iane of coIor aer ,0)32B C* #+/108
Carey's aIelle acls as bolh formuIa for coIor lheory and
lhe name of her 0&("12 3+ 45'$& raclice. This Iighl draving
inlroduces delh as Carey's enIighl slrikes lhe dings lo make
dark shadovs. The ding aIso announces lhe hislory of lhe
shadov. Ils crescenl shae, lhough laboo in a lradilionaI rinl,
is visceraIIy and visuaIIy exaggeraled, bIovn u in lhe arlisl's
hands as Carey's shadov calcher.
She is a coIorisl, bringing oul visuaI sensalion in hues as
innovalive as lhey are slrange. Non-Iinear and non-reresenla!
lionaI as lhey are, biomorhic and anlhroomorhic faces and
hgures are sublIy suggesled famiIiar yel aIien, beaulifuI and
grolesque as lhey bIend lhe fuII range of Iighl vilh dark.
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artworks #8:
Hislory hnds lhe hologram beIonging lo TaIbol, and his
sun iclures in coIor lhe cyanolye beIonging lo Alkins.
Sir }ohn HerscheI, friend lo TaIbol and Alkins, invenled lhe
cyanolye melhod Ius lhe chemislry needed lo hx a shadov.
LIIen Carey's 0&("12 3+ 45'$& raclice lraces a lra|eclory from
lhis davn of holograhy lhrough Man Ray and MohoIy-Nagy,
lo currenl iclures by Susan Derges, Adam Iuss, }ames WeIIing,
Chris McCav, Chrislian MarcIay and Ryan McGinIey, lo name
a fev.
A hologram is made vilhoul a camera. CoIor darkroom
rinling, aer and rocess, are exlraordinariIy Iighl-sensilive,
dierenl from ils Iov-Iighl counlerarl in bIack and vhile. LIIen
Carey underslands her slruggIe vilh darkness in lhe vords of
hiIosoher Marlin uber (1878-1965): Lvery |ourney has a
secrel deslinalion of vhich lhe lraveIer is unavare.
Carey's ;+%/, D E1(5.<,, a suile of six monumenlaI ho!
lograms in vhich maleriaIs as veII as coIors lake on meaning,
are fresh inlerrelalions arlnered vilh freevheeIing exeri!
menls unlelhered by ruIes, formaI slruclures or convenlionaI
rocedures. These giganlic iclures in boId coIors and exressive
9
Ellen Carey Pulls with Mixed & Off-Set Pods, 2010
Polaroid color negative/positive prints octaptych neg. R/neg. Y/pos. Y/pos. R/pos. B/pos. G/neg. G/neg. B 80H x 22W each
[80H x 176W unframed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artworks #9:
Inslanl lechnoIogy and IoIaroid mel abslraclion and minimaIism
in 1996 vilh LIIen Carey's breaklhrough discovery !"##. Her name
for lhis convergence in her nev raclice became !$%&%'()*$+ -.'(..
/.(%F a reference lo Irench hiIosoher RoIand arlhes's Wriling
Degree Zero from crilicaI discourse on lhe dearlure of descrilive
narralive in Irench avanl-garde Iileralure. In reIaled fashion, Carey's
arl reresenls a shifl from iclure and sign duaIily found in lhe sliII
Iife, Iandscae and orlrail. Inslead, her !"##6 are holograhic
images, made vilhoul a sub|ecl and vilhoul reference lo any ob|ecl,
Iace or erson, and rocessed in a mere 6O seconds.
PuIIs ulth Mlxed S Og-Set Pods records a dierenl documenl
lhrough chemislry and coIor. rganic and uid in form and Iine, vilh
allerns reminiscenl of vood, moir or holograhic Nevlon rings,
her invenlive, emhalic aIelle oers a range from brighl lo sublIe.
Dark irreguIar shaes oal lhrough lhe verlicaI :3##, and a horizonlaI
Iine decIares a break vilh or vilhoul, exosure or Iighl, and coIor or
non-coIor.
!$%&%'()*$+ -.'(.. /.(% meanings muIliIy as lilIes of her soIo
exhibilions vilh conlexl added lo conlenl. The hrase conceluaIIy
mirrors a holograhic aoria and visuaI aradox hrsl seen in LIIen
Carey's ioneering Iens-based arl for vhich she uses lhe Iarge-formal
IoIaroid 2O X 24 camera Iocaled in Nev York, one of hve in lhe vorId,
and renovn for exanding our iclure cuIlure, aIso seen in lhe vork of
WiIIiam Wegman and Chuck CIose. Carey, loo, is a IoIaroid arlisl.
Iigni 1igni aIIudes lo lhe lolaIIy bIack environmenl required
for coIor darkroom rinling. The nimbIe, Iighl-hngered nalure of
vorking quickIy is echoed in Carey's accounl of draving vilh
Iighl, lhe Viclorian hrase for holograhy. These varm amber,
honey-hued coIors vhiser and vhisk lhrough lhe comosilion. Ils
shiny melaIIic, Iighl goId ground, a nev aer al lhal lime, suorls
lhe Iighl-hearled, airy meshes of conlour and Iine.
Carey exerimenls vilh and eslabIishes many Iinkages among
end resuIls and lheir sleIIar comosilions, incIusive of a diverse,
broad aIelle lhal underscores and highIighls her abslracl, minimaI
vork. Taken coIIecliveIy, lhese visuaI allribules aIIov lhe hnaI ob|ecl
lo seak.
Ellen Carey Object Description for
Artworks #1011:
0&("12 3+ 45'$& is LIIen Carey's hologram raclice of Ienli!
fuI, slriking characlerislics: a aIelle reduclive in bIack and vhile,
and herceIy boId in coIor, an invesligalion inlo lhe bioIogy of seeing
couIed vilh imaginalive, huge scaIe arlvorks, coIor lheory highIighl!
ed as sub|ecl and ob|ecl, and ob|ecls eilher Iaced on aer or Iighl
lhal slrikes aer, used in originaI, unorlhodox vays.
Her concels and images begin vilh Iighl ils resence, absence
or haIf Iife acknovIedge il as lhe rimary agenl in aII holograhy,
being bolh indexicaI and rima facie. Lighl informs aII her vork, oflen
in landem vilh universaI lhemes such as |oy and mourning. Il under!
scores lhese slales vilh brighl coIor, shadov image, or lhe hysicaI
osilive and;or negalive rinl as melahor and iclure sign.
10
11
Ellen Carey Light Tight, 2006
color photogram, (c-print on metallic paper)
24H x 20W [33H x 29W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Light Tight, 2006
color photogram, (c-print on metallic paper)
24H x 20W [33H x 29W framed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
12
Ellen Carey Dings & Shadows, 2013
color photograms, split flters pentaptych RG/GB/BY/YM/MC 24"H x 20"W [24"H x 101"W overall|
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artworks #12:
LIIen Carey is a keen observer of change exressed in lhe skies,
vealher and seasons, in varielies of coIor as rainbov or over, and
form as lrees or cIouds. Arlisls aIso insire her lhose vho use
Iighl (}ames TureII), coIor and form (Lynda engIis), lhe minimaI lo
geomelric (DonaId }udd), combine lhe Iess-is-more aeslhelic lhrough
invenlive use of size and scaIe (SoI LeWill), and enrich arl vilh nev
meaning lhrough non-lradilionaI arl maleriaIs (Dan IIavin).
Carey's soIe focus on Iighl Ied her lo lhe coIor enIarger, an unusuaI
looI for insiralion. Her aim lo lurn u lhe visuaI voIume in inlensily,
saluralion, hue and oacily in holograms vas reaIized in lhe Iinear
rogression of sIil hIlers organized around holograhic coIor
lheory in her nevesl version of ;+%/, D E1(5.<,. Tvo coIors in one
comosilion shov seIecliveIy smoolh surfaces lhal are anguIar, al
and geomelric. Lxansive and minimaI areas, inched here and
lhere, go inlo o-frame sace, crealing a mesa of abslraclion. CoIors,
neon-brighl, coIIide, asking: AII lhis, from an enIarger`
KaIeidoscoic, high imacl images of form and feeIing charge forlh,
rendered in misly, seamIess exIoralions lhal surge, bounce and rico!
chel around and o one anolher. CoIors faII randomIy and in chance
encounlers, unexecled conneclions emerge in IayfuI and overIaing
exosures lhe aer is ,0)32B C* #+/10. LIIen Carey's maslerfuI skiIIs
in her crafl, and her degree of iconocIaslic sohislicalion, reinvenl and
ceIebrale lhe coIor vheeI, lo be found onIy in holograhy.
13
Ellen Carey Multichrome Monochromes, 2008
top Polaroid color positive prints 34H x 22W each [34H x 88W overall unframed]
bottom Polaroid color negative prints 34H x 22W each [34H x 88W overall unframed]
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artworks #13:
Ior LIIen Carey, lhe use of coIor evoIved inlo an even brighler,
bigger and boIder bIov-u. Revisiling a lechnique in coIor hIm and
chemislry knovn as cross-rocessing, lhis arlisl vho ainls vilh
Iighl uses lhe IoIaroid ods-as-lubes. Her aIelle digs deeer inlo
coIor's molher Iode, borroving ideas from lradilionaI holograhic
lerms. To each change in IoIaroid, Carey resonds.
G3#0+21).-$ G.%.21).-$, resenl her crealive soIulion lo lhis
chaIIenge hidden in lhe enveIoes of chemislry knovn as IoIaroid
ods. Her innovalion hnds lhe cIassic IoIaroid 2O X 24 reclangIe,
seen in a series of gIossy yeIIov, red, green, bIue symmelricaI
exosures in Iarge, unique bIocks. The lo hnds lhe signalure IoIa!
roid-shaed luIis, lhe bollom forms lhe lhick band, and each are
edged in bIack. The sides shov lhinner reIics of lhe camera's roIIers,
framing lhe IoIaroid inslanl rocess.
Lach osilive iclure conlains asymmelricaI, slilch-Iike forms,
unexecled and slrialed. A singIe coIor shovs lvo gIossy surface
versions: one is duII grey and mirrored by ils suer-sIick counlerarl.
These smoolh areas change lo a orhyrilic sIice of non-gIare malle.
IoIaroid negalives hang beIov lheir osilives, lhe lar-Iike alinas
gone deeer inlo varialions of coIor, form, lexlure, surface and inven!
lion. LIIen Carey oflen exhibils lhe one-of-a-kind osilives vilh lheir
negalives, giving equaI slalus lo bolh, and lhe onIy IoIaroid arlisl lo
do so.
14
Ellen Carey A Ding & A Shadow, 2010
color photogram 40H x 30W
Collection of the artist
Courtesy of Jayne H. Baum Gallery New York, NY
Ellen Carey Object Description for Artwork #14:
Inknovn lo Carey al lhe lime she vas making lhis over-sized
coIor hologram, and againsl lhe backdro of lhese brighlIy hued
assages and exressive marks, vas lhe hay arl accidenl of a Ione
ding. ImmedialeIy recognized as a olenliaI source for fulure vork,
il vas a much-needed slimuIus for her. Wilh crescenl shae minimaI
and eIeganl, ils li echoed lhe conicaI Ioo of her !"##6.
The ding is lradilionaIIy discarded as an unrofessionaI ho!
lograhic laboo, a mislake lhal vioIales lhe risline ruIes of rinling.
Ior Carey, il vas a brealh of fresh visuaIized air. She vas siruc| |q
|igni insired IileraIIy and hguraliveIy. The dings vere erfecl
shadov calchers for her rocess, coIor, and abslraclion as evidenced
lhrough lhe breaklhrough Iarge hologram, H ;+%/ D H E1(5.<.
LIIen Carey, lhe camera-Iess oeralor vho dances free and aIone
inside lhe coIor darkroom, enIarges lhal unique, limeIess bIaze ve
knov as lhe imaginalion. In revisiling a 19lh cenlury vinlage melhod
vilh onIy Iighl from enIarger Iens lo enIighl oinls, lhis 21sl cenlury
American arlisl creales nev documenls of dramalic and enduring
consequence.
LIIen Carey, vilh or vilhoul a camera, uIIs and ho!
lograms a visuaI rainbov of oelic reaIilies from a rimaI
darkness lhal dreams lhe nexl momenl. Her abslracl and
minimaI iclures range from high imacl and fuIIy saluraled
lo reslrained, quieler or iridescenl coIors and forms lhal
she Iucks from random encounlers in lhe chaolic ux of
becoming, lhen organizes, and Iaces in molion by any
variely of decisions she viII make. Her exerience, agiIe,
muscuIar briIIiance and energy coIIaborale vilh lhe unre!
diclabIe or caricious facl of lhe image, lhal is, somelhing
nev. Her vork is unrecedenled in holograhy a bIack
svan henomenon.
1
In 1996 LIIen Carey adoled lhe lerm Pu||s lo describe
lhe Iess is more lvin axis of her eIemenlaI osilive and
negalive images lhose brighl slars of Gemini, Caslor and
IoIIux,
2
lhal she uIIed oul from lhe roIIers of lhe IoIaroid
2O X 24 Iarge formal camera, seen for lhe hrsl lime in lhe
dilych Wniic Pu|| / B|cc| Pu||. Wilh her originaI idea she
inlroduced a unique, visuaI form in bolh her Iens-based arl
and holograhy, lhal of lhe araboIa. "The Concise xford
LngIish Diclionary" slales lhal lhe araboIa is a symmelricaI
oen Iane curve formed by lhe inlerseclion of a cone vilh
a Iane araIIeI lo ils side. In nalure il occurs in lhe shaes
of eIongaled ine cones and lhe shadov orlion of lhe
crescenl moon al ecIise. Laurence I. GouId, a rofessor of
hysics and Carey's coIIeague, vrole her lhe foIIoving in an
e-maiI: . . . cerlain comels couId lraveI in araboIas if lhey
have lhe righl lolaI energy coming inlo our soIar syslem
and lhen Ieaving . . . never lo relurn. In Carey's Pu||s il
becomes an arl form nev lo holograhy and is exressed
in a conicaI bIack Ioo knovn as lhe hyerboIa. Since 1996
Carey has caIIed her radicaI aroach, Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc
Zcrc"
3
afler Irench semioIogisl RoIand arlhes's (1915 198O)
book, "Wriling Degree Zero" (1953), in vhich she uends
lhe holograh as sign lhe snas and famiIy orlrails
slanding in for memory and desire originaIIy reaIized in
her series, |cmi|q Pcrircii.
The sudden, unexecled dealh of her brolher from an
accidenl came al a lime vhen her beIoved molher vas
lerminaIIy iII. She died shorlIy aflervard. Carey's marriage
soon ended foIIoving lhese lvin dealhs. Any reIiabIe sem!
bIance of a normaI, everyday vorId coIIased. The gravilas
of such Iife-changing Iosses, so shallering as lhey unfoIded,
resounded in Carey's mind vilh lhe Irench exislenliaIism of
hiIosoher }ean-IauI Sarlre's (19O5-8O) lrealise, "eing and
Nolhingness" (1943) and his Iay, "No Lxil" (1944), in vhich
heII exisls lhroughoul Iifelimes lhal do nol make sense,
yel one musl lake lhe resonsibiIily lo Iive anyvay, and,
Iikevise vilh American Iayvrighl and hIm direclor David
Mamel's (b. 1947) hIm, "House of Games" (1987), vhich
ricochels o Shakeseare's dramalic device of lhe Iay
vilhin a Iay, in a Iayered, eIaborale series of decelions
vilhin decelions, vhiIe dovelaiIing vilh Iileralure's cenlraI
lheme of aearance versus reaIily.
Carey reaIized lhal lhe medium of holograhy, generaIIy
resumed lo reresenl vhal is reaI, aIso couId shov hov
lhings are nol aIvays vhal lhey seem. Conlradiclion Iay al
lhe cenler of her exerience: lo undersland Iife lhrough a
Iens of aearance and reaIily is lo assume lhe exislence of
an organizing rinciIe one caIIs reaIily lo dislinguish il from
aearance, bul Irench exislenliaIism, vhich deveIoed
belveen lhe lvo vorId vars in an alleml lo exIain lhe eviI
of mass vioIence, shovs lhal lhere is no allern or organizing
rinciIe in Iife lhal one can caII reaIily. The arlisl vas Iefl
face lo face vilh dealh in Iife vhen lhe lrusled and famiIiar
suddenIy lurned slrange. The American sychoanaIysl and
aulhor Louise }. KaIan (b. 193O), in her book No Voice Is
Lver WhoIIy Losl (1995) uses Ireud's lheory of lhe uncanny
lo exIain some of lhe rofound eecls of Iosing someone, of
being robbed by lhe abrul emergence of somelhing usuaIIy
hidden, dark, a shadov coming lo Iighl. The Ioving diaIogue
eslabIished by molher and chiId in lhe deveIomenlaI eriod
before seech is vhal makes us caabIe of forming Ioving
reIalionshis lhroughoul our Iives. When dealh reduces lhe
The Black Swans of Ellen Carey: Of Necessary Poetic Realities
Ioved one lo an ob|ecl lhal can onIy slare back, so lo seak,
il becomes imeralive lo somehov reeslabIish lhal caacily
for feeIing vhich makes us human. Arl can and does reslore
lhese Iosl diaIogues. n a singIe day in Augusl 1996 Carey
made her groundbreaking hrsl IuII, Wniic Pu|| / B|cc| Pu||"
and lhe |cmi|q Pcrircii. Thereafler she vouId inscribe her
concel and arlislic raclice, Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc Zcrc.
According lo lhe American hiIosoher Susanne Langer
(1895-1985) in her 1953 book, "IeeIing and Iorm," arl gives
form lo lhe rav havoc of feeIing and in so doing aIIovs for
Iife lo hII us once again. These ma|or Iosses suslained by
Carey forefronled her visionary breaklhroughs, exonen!
liaIIy exanding her one-of-a-kind arl raclice. They crealed
her consleIIalion of bIack svans vilaI, uid shadovs
of no seIf, lhe bird shadov souI, lhe zero slale emlied
by Ioss, and yel, IileraI negalive markers oinling a vay
forvard lo desire, lhe Iife force, lhe hIIing ecslasy of lhe
erolic, lhe aeslhelic, and lhe mylhic, bIue-skinned Vishnu, a
Iolus arising from his naveI, dreaming lhe elernaI vorId inlo
being. They become a fuIcrum for lhe dislinclive direclion
her vork viII lake for years lo come. In his book, "The
Wound and lhe ov: Seven Sludies in Lileralure" (1941), lhe
American vriler Ldmund WiIson (1895-1972), re-imagined
lhe Greek IhiIocleles mylh as lhe slory of hov sychoIogicaI
lrauma can be converled lo cIarily of feeIing, insighl and
slrenglh lhrough dedicaled arlislic eorl. The inimilabIe
Chorus in lhe Greek lragedy, "Agamemnon" (ca. 458 CL),
by lhe Greek oel AeschyIus (ca. 525-456 CL), caulions us
To Iearn lo knov lhrough ain . . . .
Carey's idea for lhe Pu||s aIso derived from sludying her
holograher-muse, rilish invenlor WiIIiam Henry Iox
TaIbol (18OO-77), vho discovered lhe hologram melhod
in 1834 by using onIy maleriaIs of immediacy emuIsion,
aer, Iighl, ine needIes, Iace and vilhoul need of a
camera. She lurned 15O years of holograhy on ils head
by hybridizing lhe idea of lhe camera vilh lhe direclness
of lhe hologram rocess in her use of lhe IoIaroid 2O X
24 camera. Irom her knovIedge of TaIbol's negalive and
osilive melhod and lhe Irench invenlor of holograhy,
Louis-}acques-Mand-Daguerre's daguerreolyes of risline
cIarily, vhich inlroduced lhe medium's hyerreaI charac!
lerislic, Carey underslood vhal lhe camera couId roduce.
Her use of IoIaroid lo accel comIeleIy nev images vilh
ils ovn conlenl-Iaden maleriaIs, vas simiIar yel dierenl
from lhe hisloricaI hologram and daguerreolye. She made
ob|ecl and sub|ecl simuIlaneous in lhe Pu|| as osilive, oflen
shovn vilh ils negalive. Indierenl lo lhe lradilionaI (and
mascuIine) roIe of lhe camera as rimary in reIalion lo lhe
secondary sub|ecl (i.e. lhe maIe gaze), she engaged vilh il
as a coIIaboralive equaI, renaming common holograhic
lerms. AII lilIes for lhis vork describe her hysicaI inler!
aclions vilh machine, maleriaI, darkness and Iighl: Pu||s,
Rc|||cc|s, Iijis cn! Drcps, Mu|iicnrcmcs, and Pcn|ignis, vhich
are hung aIone, as airs, lrilychs or in grous as inslaIIa!
lions lo underscore her concels and lhemes.
Carey revisils holograhic lerms vilh fresh innovalion.
0 Pu|| lhal has a doubIe or muIliIe exosure is a Rc|||cc|"
in vhich she manuaIIy uIIs oul and roIIs back hIm, in coIor
she relurns lo cross-rocessing brand nev hues from her
chemicaI vand. She ushes holograhic coIor lheory lo lhe
hiIl, in conlrasl vilh TaIbol's sofler, muled aIelle of varm
lones and cooIer aubergines crealed from lhe unrediclabIe
LngIish vealher lhe sunIighl's inlensily on any given day.
In surassing lhe origins of lhe holograh as sign, narra!
live, and ob|ecl, she slried holograhy of hierarchicaI,
gender-coded reIalions of sub|ecl and ob|ecl, generaling
inslead a seIf-referenliaI and nonreresenlalionaI slarling
oinl. Carey's Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc Zcrc is a vhoIe nev vorId
as verb. Slanding cIose u and face-lo-face vilh her radicaI
images ve are hnaIIy comeIIed lo exerience ourseIves as
lhe meaning makers, vho coIIaborale vilh lhem as did lhe
arlisl, lo hnd vhal is lhere and nol lhere and lo nolice hov
and vhal ve see.
She references American holograher Garry Winogrand
(1928-84) vhen she slales lhal each Pu|| does nol record
a facl bul creales a nev facl vhich is lhe holograh.
4

These facls are indeed reaIilies as slriking lo us as lhey are
lhemseIves evidences of lhe momenlary, everyday shadov
vorId ve inhabil, inluil and do nol see unIess ve relain
chiId-Iike eyes and vays of being in lhe vorId by feeIing, by
lhal vhich makes us human. Her holograhs are a slarlIing
counleroinl singuIarIy equaI lo NASA's lhriIIing snashol
of Larlh from ils onIy moon. We are uIIed lo lhem as ve are
uIIed by lhe myslery of lhe moon, curious, bedazzIed and
iniliaIIy slruggIing lo connecl.
Carey and her Iack Svans are ossibIe onIy in America.
Their emergence foIIoved severaI deveIomenls, beginning
vilh lhe 19lh cenlury dominance in holograhy by TaIbol
and Daguerre, and foIIoved by lhe American Iholo-Se!
cessionisl movemenl
5
of 19O2, in vhich lhe American
holograher AIfred SliegIilz (1864-1946) organized a grou
of American avanl-garde holograhers lo break avay from
a more convenlionaI aroach. In 19OO he and American
holograher, I. HoIIand Day (1864-1933) broughl lhe hnesl
vorks overseas lo secure soIid recognilion by lhe arl vorId
for lhese nev 'holograhy as arl' holograhs, vhich lhey
duIy gained in Iaris and London, lhus eslabIishing a signih!
canl Iink for lhe medium belveen Luroe and America.
Wilhin lvo years lhe Iholo-Secessionisl movemenl vas
undervay vilh lhe use of seciaI rinling rocesses invoIv!
ing gum bichromales and Ialinum lhal vere maslered by
lhe American holograher Ldvard Sleichen (1879-1973).
y 19O5 ils raclilioners exanded sub|ecl maller lo incIude
cily infraslruclure and archileclure, and vere reguIarIy
exhibiling al 291 Iiflh Avenue in The LillIe GaIIeries of lhe
Iholo-Secession or simIy 291, in Nev York Cily. Though
lhey disbanded vilhin 1O years, lheir inuence conlinued
Iong afler, as did lhe rofound imacl of lhe inlerim belveen
lhe Iirsl and Second WorId Wars in vhich Luroe vas lhe
cailaI of lhe arl vorId vilh Iaris as ils cenler, yieIding lhe
foIIoving imorlanl veslern arl movemenls (vilh some of
lheir reresenlalive arlisls): lhe Imressionism of Guslav
CaiIIebolle (1848-94) and CIaude Monel (184O -1926), lhe Sur!
reaIism of Max Lrnsl (1891-1976) and Man Ray (189O-1976),
lhe Dada of MarceI Ducham (1887-1968), and lhe Cubism of
Georges raque (1882-1963) and IabIo Iicasso (1881-1973).
The IoIaroid camera, hovever, vas an American invenlion,
and afler lhe Second WorId War lhe arl cailaI shifled lo
Nev York Cily, as Abslracl Lxressionism, via such arlisls as
}ackson IoIIock (1912-56) and Roberl MolherveII (1915-91),
oened u a nev horizon vilhin an American uloia of
arlislic freedom and crealivily. Carey's achievemenls surface
from lhis backdro as veII as lhe imacl of ConceluaI Arl,
MinimaIism, and feminism. As a sludenl she indeendenlIy
researched vomen arlisls because "}anson's Hislory of Arl"
did nol incIude lhem. The invenlion of holograhy and lhe
suragisl movemenl vouId change lhal. Women used lhe
daguerreolye for ils surging commerciaI aIicalions and
seIf-orlrailure sludies. The nev, emly heId heId a romise
of sveeing sea changes. This democralic medium incIuded
such vomen holograhers as Anna Alkins (1799-1871),
}uIia Margarel Cameron (1815-79), CIaude CaIhun (1894-
1954) and Americans, Lee MiIIer (19O7-77), Diane Arbus
(1923 -71), and Cindy Sherman (b. 1954).
Iack Svan Theory,
1
aIied lo Carey's arl-making over
lime, shovs a cascading movemenl and form of invesli!
galion and discovery, beginning in 1995 vilh lhe IoIaroid
rocess and Cc|cr 1nccrq
1
, and reverberaling inlo Pu||s and
|cmi|q Pcrircii. This aclivily araIIeIs lhe funclion of lhe
camera's inlerior mirror aaralus as one discovery uon
anolher successiveIy bounces, shullers, and kaIeidoscoes
inlo lhe nexl. Lvery four years or so, Carey creales a nev
cIusler of boId, visuaI rainbovs lhal lake yel anolher viev.
The grey card shaIe of lhe Mcurning Wc|| and lhe even more
coIossaI inslaIIalion, Pu||s XI, of burnished brovns and
bIacks consliluling Carey's 2OO4 Wadsvorlh Alheneum
Malrix -153 exhibilion, erul inlo lhe sensale vorId of
Pusn Pins, lhe high saluralion of 1nc Rc! Pncicgrcm, and lhe
inler-recelive B|in|s and, I vonder lhal she is aIso shocking
us back lo Iife afler lhe evenls of 9;11. The nexl cascade
comes vilh Pc|crci! Pcn|ignis, her exlraordinary essay, Cc|cr
Mc Rcc|"
6
on MinimaIisl SoI LeWill (1928-2OO7), lhe Mu|ii-
cnrcmc Pu||s (2OO8) of her cross-halched, fealher-bIended,
chemicaI coIors, and her essay aboul her inslinclive and
ivolaI sighling of SurreaIisl Man Ray's enIighl signalure in
reverse in his holograh, Spccc Wriiings, vhich has eIuded
lhe arl vorId since ils crealion in 1935.
Carey brings lo lhe ilch bIack surface of lhe coIor
holograhy darkroom her invesligalions inlo arl and
science, incIuding malhemalics, arl hislory and arl brul,
7

chemislry, olics, sychoanaIysis, semiolics, feminism,
myslicism, lhe seIf. Her looI box is vasl: she mighl drav vilh
a enIighl, rolale a iece of Iighl-sensilive aer vilh gIass
marbIes, unclure coIor aer vilh melaI ush ins used in
her inslaIIalions, sin lhe vhirIigig vheeI of holograhic
coIor lheory, diaIing in sellings on an enIarger, or cross-ro!
cess, eilher vay for calegories of ullerIy nev coIors, exose
and roII back hIm inlo lhe camera for yel more exosures, Iifl
and dro her Pu||s lo creale air ockels vhere deveIoer and
dyes cannol reach, searale negalive from osilive, hanging
each as is, unframed and oflen side by side vhiIe chemicaIs
conlinue lo reacl and change over lime. Visiling vilh her
vork sends me scurrying inlo every ockel of myseIf
books haIf- or unread, musicaI assages or somelhing oul
of lune, a sense of aIarm, an inslanlaneous rise of my body
Iahrenheil, and rushing for vords lo hoId il aII lhere in ils
zone syslem quiel.
Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc Zcrc bridges lvo calegories of LIIen
Carey's vork: lhe IoIaroid Pu||s and searale sile secihc
IoIaroid inslaIIalions. These are Iarge-scaIe vorks shoving
aII evidence of lhe IoIaroid rocess, even lhe dovnov of
exhausled chemicaIs. Those Pu||s of more lhan one image
aIso sequesler massive shericaI siIences imagining lhree-di!
mensionaIily vilhin lheir negalive saces. Her Siruc| |q
Iigni holograms, enlilIed Pusn Pins, Rcq Bcn!s, Ncc-Ops and
B|in|s are dierenl. Whereas lhe Pu||s ansver lhe queslion,
'Whal is a minimaI holograh`' lhe holograms are Carey's
resonses lo lhe queslion, 'Whal is an abslracl holograh`'
In Iace of TaIbol's common maleriaIs of ine needIes and
Iace in muled coIors, Carey refers nonlradilionaI maleriaIs
moslIy in high saluralion crealed by coIor holograhic
lheory and uniled by lhe common facl lhal lhey are aII, in
her vords, slruck by Iighl. The four oelic reaIilies of
earlh, sun, valer and hre are abslracled lo dense saluralions
of lhe rimary coIors green, yeIIov, bIue and red. Her gIass
marbIes lrace lheir ovn conlroIIed chaolic movemenls and
melaI ins ush lhrough lhe surface of lhe holograhic
aer. Carey has said of her coIor Pusn Pins holograms,
The ush ins creale acluaI hoIes in lhe surface of lhe
aer, suggesling edges of eriheraI vision . . . of raised,
irreguIar surfaces.
8
The American oel, assislanl rofessor of LngIish, and
Carey's former coIIeague, Connie Voisine, lhinks Carey's
vork dehes RoIand arlhes's asserlion in "Camera Lucida"
(198O) lhal lhe essence of holograhy is reresenlalionaI
via lvo eIemenls, lhe 'sludium' or generaIIy obvious
meanings underslood by mosl vievers and lhe 'unclum'
vhich ierces lhrough calive lime aIong lhe surface of lhe
holograh inlo a ersonaI memory lhal vounds. LIIen's
Pu||s are dehance, Voisine loId me. They rove lhal
reresenlalion is nol a key lo her arl. Carey feIl she lurned
a corner vhen she began uncluring Iighl-sensilive aer
vilh ush ins. She became inleresled in lhe bioIogy of
seeing and lhe crealion of nev coIors from chemicaIs. Her arl
is of lhe rocess ilseIf lhal makes iclures.
I sland in fronl of lhe Pu||s and lhe Siruc| |q Iigni
holograms lranshxed by a sense of eyesighl doubIing
back as inner vision mirroring our inlacl humanily in lhis
digilaIIy on-and-o, fragmenlary and commodily-driven
vorId. I revisil lhe disorienlalion and hesilancy of being
and moving vilhin lhe Iayers of lhe dark and of lhe seIf in a
kind of deIeclabIe confusion: lhe Where am I`, Whal is me`,
Whal is nol me`, Whal do I see`, and Iike a chiId, vhoIe by
feeIing, vilh need no dierenl from desire, crashing lhrough
lhe henomenaI vorId vilh a funny bone imaginalion, by
lurns carefree, deIighled and seriousIy aIerl. The arlisl's
desire is urgenl vilh a viII lo hnd and give form lo lhe
Iace of absence in order lo assure resence. Il is onIy in lhis
kind of re-cognilive, eyes-cIosed-dream lhal one can reaIIy
see invardIy by feeIing even lhe aercelions of lhe
chiId one once vas. ChiIdren, as ve aII knov, 'gel il' lhe
onrush of a momenl Iived vilhoul comrehension in
a vay free of lhe need for meaning by being fuIIy resenl
in lhe uddhisl sense of inluiliveIy grasing lhal lo vhich
inleIIecluaI concels can onIy oinl.
9
An ardenl observer of
lhe exlrinsic vorId, Carey recaIIed seeing an infanl, vraed
in a snuggIy uon his molher's chesl, vho vas enralured
vilh lhe shadov of his ovn IillIe hand on a vaII as he
lurned il over and over again in lhe sunIighl.
This arlisl lransIilerales vilh her coIor darkroom
sensorium, bringing lo Iighl lhe visuaI equivaIences of her
muIliIexed inleraclions amid varialions in liming, scaIe,
dislance, framing, grouing or isoIalion, delaiI, erseclive,
Ienglh of Iighl-vave: in a camera image lhese are nol mere
aeslhelic faclors bul mallers of eislemoIogy.
1O
Hov il musl
vreck one's sense of lime vhen a decimaI oinl exlra inslanl
of Iighl for a holograher can make aII lhe conlroIIed
combinalions of sace and lime coIIase or come inlo Iay!
The greal oels, Shakeseare and Yeals, vere vonder!
fuIIy confused vilh lheir vorId. Carey's vork is aIive vilh
queslions equaI lo HamIel's soIiIoquy of Acl III, Scene I, To
be or nol lo be: lhal is lhe queslion., or lo WiIIiam ulIer
Yeals's Hov can ve knov lhe dancer from lhe dance`
11

Il sends ils moliIe feeIers oul among lhe slrange dark
in-and-oul saces lhe vay organisms inleracl vilh feedback
from lheir environmenl. The American oel Gary Snyder (b.
193O) vrole: Il is in lhe dee mind lhal viIderness and lhe
unconsciousness become one . . . our reIalion lo lhe ouler
ecoIogies seems condilioned by our inner ecoIogies . . . .
12

Sviss vriler, AdoIh Muschg, (b. 1934) raises lhe radicaI:
Hov is lhe middIe reIaled lo ils fringes`. . . lhere Iies ils
sense of louch for aII lhe nev lhal comes lovards il, lhere
lhe heaIlh of ils melaboIism is decided . . . lhere al lhe fringes
lhe syslem Iearns or cIoses ilseIf o againsl ils ovn
survivaI.
13
Il is in lhis grealer sense lhal Carey's rocess
urges our coIIeclive lhinking lovard nev aradigms and
mylhoIogies lo rogressiveIy reIace lhe broken modeIs ve
sliII use for lhinking aboul our vondrous, erIexing and
dangerous vorId, cIearing a vay for vhal oel and hiIoso!
her Heriberlo Yez caIIs sonlaneous lrulh.
14
LIIen Carey's holograhic and Iens-based arl is aIso a
fearIess and hysicaIIy demanding arena lhal reIales and
seizes uon vhalever nev exisls aIong lhe edges, being
in lhe vhaIe-beIIy of darkness in a near bollomIess sea,
sensing and receiving vhal ve cannol see, and reminiscenl
of Carlier-resson's 'decisive momenl' of vhich Carey is
aculeIy avare, oening and moving vilhin il as do ve vho
lake her cues from lhe olher side of her iclures. Somelimes
lhere is no camera vhen she direclIy coIIaborales vilh Iighl,
aer surface, emuIsion, and myslery in her holograms,
her ick axe coIor holograhic lheory slriking al vhal she
caIIs lhe molher Iode of coIor.
15
ccasionaIIy, I imagine, she
aIso musl lake resile in cerlain IoIaroid Pu||s, of muIliIe
exosures in cooIing hues refreshing vhorIs uon lhe
cheek refuge vhere ve may calch our brealh lo lhink and
feeI our nexl sle lovard necessary oelic reaIilies.
We are in need of such exeriences lo heI us undersland
hov ve conslrucl lhe vorId by making meaning. Carey's
Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc Zcrc oers lhal. We are caIIed uon lo
reacl as vhoIIy as lhe chemicaI reaclions lhal are her images
lo lhe resence and absence (eriodicaIIy onIy resence)
of darkness, an inner shadov Iace vhere aII lhal lhere is
lenlaliveIy becomes.
IIiny lhe LIder, in his NaluraI Hislory (ca. 77-79 CL),
reIales lhe mylh of arl's origin in a fabIe aboul lhe daughler
of ulades, a Greek oller from Corinlh. She drev lhe
oulIined rohIe of her Iover's shadov as il vas ro|ecled on
lhe vaII by a Iam, |usl before he Iefl for ballIe, and vhich
her falher made inlo a scuIluraI reIief. Thus, before lhe reaI
shadov dearls vilh ils ovner il oers lhe young voman
an image vilh vhich lo reresenl her beIoved lhal vhich
she hxes on lhe vaII for aII lime.
16
According lo arl hislorian,
Viclor I. Sloichila, in his remarkabIe book, "A Shorl Hislory
of lhe Shadov" (1997),
17
lhe hidden meaning of lhis mylh
invoIves lhe lranscendence of dealh. The image of lhe
Iover's face on lhe vaII is a verlicaI, erecl, Iife-Iike ro|eclion,
a hgure. Whal is lhe daughler's inlenl` To memoriaIize
him`, Give him Iife`, Induce a hanlasm of foreIay vhen
besieged so by lhe lhroes of Lros and Thanalos` We simIy
do nol knov. She seems lo vanquish lhe lhreal of his dealh
in var by making an image lhal IileraIIy slands in for his
absence she makes him urighl, lhal is, forever aIive.
AIlhough lhe image she lraced is onIy a seclre, il is,
nonelheIess, lhe immaleriaI counlerarl or doubIe of lhe
absenl Iover. Il is nol Iosl on us here in lhe 21sl cenlury lhal
ulades' daughler is nameIess a nameIessness slanding in
for lhe facl of vomen's absence lhroughoul arl hislory, and
a marker of vomen's invisibiIily in Ianguage lhal ignores
lhis one facl: lhe need lo name lhe vorId is a human need.
NeverlheIess lhe daughler's image remains. Il is limeIess, as
are Carey's symboIic |cmi|q Pcrircii, Sc|j-Pcrircii ci 48, and
lhe immense minimaIisl labIeaux, Mcurning Wc||.
Arl-making invoIves an imuIse lo hx a vorId lhreal!
ened vilh harm. Il is a necessary oelic reaIily born of lhe
arlisl's Iove aair vilh lhe vorId and is a survivaI slralegy
for individuaI and Ianel aIike. LIIen Carey's IoIaroid Pu||s
incIude negalives lhal are assigned equaI slalus vilh lheir
osilives. Lach negalive is lhe oelic icpcs, IileraIIy lhe
Iace of lhe hgure's absence, ils shadov lhe araboIa of
a dragony's ving, a Iosl fealher, a varrior's shieId, of lhe
human longue, enis, and breasl, of lhe siIence imeralive
for seech, and lhe necessary darkness of lhe vorId, lhe
mind, before Iighl, before an image.
In his book, "The Ioelics of Sace" (1969), lhe Irench
hiIosoher Gaslon acheIard (1884-1962), vrole of nalure
imagining hov lo make lhe human ear by raclicing vilh
seasheIIs for sound and form. I Iike lo lhink lhal Carey's
arl hne lunes lhe ear of lhe imaginalion. As I see inlo any
one of a number of Pu||s I may hear ach on someone's
baby grand
18
or on American oel WaIIace Slevens's bIue
guilar,
19
and lurning |usl so, hear Nina Simone, and
quench myseIf on Iong, dee brealhs, and smiIe in aII lhal
Ioam, unliI from vilhin Carey's massive and monumenlaI
Mcurning Wc|| (2OOO) I hear Vicloria de Ios AngeIes singing
Dido's Iamenl, When I am Iaid in earlh,
2O
hoIding o
lhe inevilabIe, hnaI siIence crealed by such bIackness. The
inslaIIalion of one hundred IoIaroid negalives (15 fl. high
and 4O fl. vide) form lhe aearance of a nicked and scarred
gun melaI grey mosaic vaII of siIence as incomrehensibIe
as lhe shadovs Iefl behind of lhe eoIe vho vere vaor!
ized in Hiroshima.
21
There is an immense gralilude lovard
lhe arlisl vho gave so much lo exress such unfalhomabIe
sorrov. Lven lhough lhis vork redales 9;11 by one year il
oers Americans, in arlicuIar, ils haunling scroII of vacanl
comrehension as sancluary in lhe aflermalh of lhal evenl.
Connie Voisine has said lhal Carey does, vilh lhe coIor
bIack, in lhe Mcurning Wc||, vhal lhe uIgarian-Irench
hiIosoher and sychoanaIysl }uIia Krisleva (b. 1941),
vriling in "Desire in Language: A Semiolic Aroach lo
Lileralure and Arl" (198O), slales lhe IIorenline ainler
Giollo di ondone (ca. 1267-1337) did vilh bIue in his Arena
ChaeI frescoes al Iadua. I venlure lo guess he dehed lhe
lradilionaIIy reslrained use of coIor in lhe frescoes of his
lime. Giollo's bIue exressed a human |oy free of myslicaI
ro|eclion. Inslead of making siIence lhal oinls lo lhe
eriod of human deveIomenl before seech, Voisine lhinks
of Carey's siIence of bIack as abslracl. I feeI il oinls lo lhe
lime vhen an infanl hrsl erceives coIor in ils fuIIesl sense
as searale from ob|ecls a lime vhen coIor exisls for ilseIf
and our unlhinking immersion in il. Voisine and I noled lhal
Carey's bIack has lexlure yel is nol ainling or scuIlure.
To give siIence lexlure is lo enIiven il, make il aIabIe.
Again her vork byasses reresenlalionaI holograhy. Il
is abslracl. Il is lhe very lhing ilseIf. Wilhin lhe negalive and
osilive B|cc| Mu|iicnrcmc Pu|| (2OO8), I eer inlo ink bIack
foIds of a garmenl renl and aImosl Iaid al by a furious and
fuliIe search for lhe Ioved one's body and slark vilh siIence.
The hologram Iigni Siruc| (2OO9), inlerruls lhis bIed-oul
scene vilh a singIe over of red, yeIIov, magenla, cyan,
green, bIue and vhile, siIIing oul al us from ils bIackening
cenlraI vorlex an inhnile array of minialure coIor vheeIs,
dancing rainbov |eveIs, and oh, hov lisy I become.
Cc|cr 1nccrq (1995), a IoIaroid osilive rinl lhal refer!
ences "Rolary Demishere" (1925), a machine by Dadaisl
MarceI Ducham, is a fascinaling verligo: Imagine a rouIelle
vheeI, sans numbers and arlilions, sinning counlIess,
smaII vheeIs in symmelricaI and asymmelricaI orbilaIs
of lhe rimary addilive coIors red, green and bIue inlo a
bIur of cenlrifugaI and cenlrielaI allerns as some bIend
o lhe edges of lhe rinl vhiIe olhers galher vehemenlIy
sharer lovard lhe cenler, and overaII, creale lhe rimary
sublraclives, yeIIov, magenla and cyan vherever lhey
overIa, and inlervaIs of vhile vhere aII lhe coIors meId a
big bang gaIaxy, our serenline morlaI coiI, and a fanlaslic
foreshadoving of vhal Carey viII do vilh holograhic
coIor lheory. I relurn lo lhe humid red of 1nc Rc! Pncicgrcm
(2OO1), vilh ils forefronling of coIorfuI, oaling, circuIar
noles and broken bIack slrings lhal ve gaze asl lo a red
inlerior, music sliII inside. I recaII a Iine from a oem of lhe
same name: If onIy one couId Iook inside lhis dark room of
lhe body.
22
The inslaIIalion viev, a suile of six B|in|s (2OO8), one
for each of six coIors red, green, bIue, yeIIov, magenla,
cyan have me Iooking asl TaIbol's 1nc Oric| Win!cu (1835
or 1839), vilh nev eyes. Lach of lhese six inlerdeendenl
B|in|s is comosed of a singuIar, irreguIar Iallice allern of
ils ovn (as if svayed by lhe vind) of lhickening, bIack nel
lhal eriheraIIy bounds lhe seeing coIor and slacks aII
coIors lovard a cIoud-Iike, vhile cenler. lher B|in|s, a smaII
hologram and a midsize ink|el coIor rinl (2OO3 and 2OO4),
and an even Iarger one (2OO5), an oversized, digilaI ink|el
coIor rinl comosed of her originaI coIor holograms, are
archileclures of coIor, coIor lhe archileclure of Iighl. The
orderIy, Iaid malrices are comosed of Carey's Rcq Bcn!s
(2OO3), lhal seemingIy 'bIink' al us, as ve al lhem, our rods
and cones beviIdered by aflerimages of such roorlionaIily
and roximily. We are Iooking al and inlo a muIli-slory
buiIding vilhoul vaIIs and agIov vilh inhnile delhs. The
rooms are formed by suorling beams of rainbovs cubed,
and vhere lhey inlersecl each node bIinks a GaIaxy`
Larlh` Mind` AII lhree`
Conlrasl lhese B|in|s vilh lhe Pusn Pins series, arlic!
1,.+,% Pusn Pins (2OO2), in vhich each ush in unclure
is a momenl lhrough lime, slruck by Iighl (lo borrov lhe
lilIe of LIIen Carey's 2OO9 hologram relroseclive from
1992-2OO9). See lhe sarks y o her anviI her molher
Iode of coIor. Move asl lhis scrim of Iighlsarks eeIing o
in every direclion lo lhe more soIid bIocks of coIor in aII lheir
varialion, and beyond lhese, shock your seIf vilh a fainlesl
sense of a free human resence, rav and eIeganl, somevhere
lhere. Here.
-%;;) ?#.561$.(
!%.&
A IersonaI Nole: Il vas a lremendous Ieasure lo be enriched so
by LIIen Carey's generous ov of ideas, knovIedge, queslions and
humor lhroughoul lhe deveIomenl of lhis essay.
Coyrighl 2O1O, 2O14 by Donna IIeischer. Ised vilh ermission by lhe aulhor.
Notes
1. Nassim NichoIas TaIeb, 1nc B|cc| Sucn. 1nc |mpcci
cj inc Hign|q |mprc|c||c, (Nev York: Random
House, 2OO7). Iack svans are ma|or, excelion!
aI and unrediclabIe evenls, incIuding arlislic
achievemenls, conceived as exlreme oulIiers,
vhich ve Ialer ralionaIize as foreseeabIe. MaIcoIm
GIadveII, in Oui|icrs. 1nc Sicrq cj Succcsss, (Nev
York: LillIe, rovn & Comany, 2OO8), describes
oulIiers as exlraordinary eoIe vhose accom!
Iishmenls surass our range of exerience, and
so, uzzIe us, have cIocked al Ieasl 1O,OOO hours
of resoIule Iabor in lheir heIds, and, vhose cuIlur!
aI, hisloricaI backgrounds are equaIIy imorlanl
lo individuaI characlerislics. (LIIen Carey's idea
lo use TaIeb's adalalion of Iack Svan Theory
deveIoed in arl from her reading of lhis essay
in hrsl drafl form. n.b. AIlhough her use of lhe
IoIaroid camera began in 1983, for lhe uroses
of lhis arlicIe, onIy secihc vorks daling from
1995 lo lhe resenl are discussed.)
2. Caslor is lhe hrsl slar in lhe consleIIalion Gemini
(or lhe Tvins) and IoIIux is lhe second slar. In 1nc
Grcc| Mqins. 1 (196O), LngIish oel and schoIar
Roberl Graves (1895 1985) exIains lhal lhey
reresenl lhe lvin sons of Greek mylh generaIIy
described as chiIdren of Zeus and Leda. The
Greek lragic oels leII lhe slory of Leda and lhe
Svan in vhich Zeus couIes vilh Leda in lhe
form of a svan, crealing HeIen and CIylemneslra,
from lhe one egg, and Caslor and IoIIux from
lhe olher (. 2O6 2O8). Yeals's oem, Ic!c cn!
inc Sucn, (1924, 1928) reIales lhe lvin lragedy
of lhis slory: lhe faII of Troy, caused by HeIen's
eIoemenl vilh lhe Tro|an, Iaris and lhe murder
of lhe greal King Agamemnon, by his ovn vife,
CIylemneslra. According lo Graves, in an earIier
version of lhe mylh, lhe moon goddess, Nemesis,
of lhe IeIoonnesian svan cuIl, vas simiIarIy
lricked by Zeus (. 2O8). American mylhoIogy
schoIar and vriler, }oseh CambeII (19O4 1987),
in his book, 1nc Mcs|s cj Gc!. Primiiitc Mqinc|cgq
(197O), noles lhal in Lascaux, in soulhern Irance,
is a cave iclure of a shaman dressed in bird
coslume Iying roslrale in a lrance and vilh
lhe hgure of a bird erched on his shaman sla
beside him. (. 258) Shaman birds of Siberia,
India, China, Germany, and Nalive American cuI!
lures emhasize lhe bird as a siriluaI messenger
caabIe of ying beyond lhis Iife and relurning
vhiIe in a lrance. There is a rich and uncanny as!
socialion belveen lhese symboIs in lheir crealive
and siriluaI incarnalions and lhe sui generis
nalure of Carey's hrsl Pu||s lhal even exlends lo
her given name, LIIen, lhe bringer of Iighl, from
lhe Greek LIene, of vhich c|c means sunIighl, and
lo her surname, Carey, vhich is lhe common an!
gIicized version of lhe originaI Irish Ciardha, from
lhe Irish vord cicr, for dark or bIack (Ida Grehan's
1nc Diciicncrq cj |risn |cmi|q Ncmcs, 1997). ne
hnaI corresondence invoIves lhe facl lhal Carey
makes IoIaroid Pncicgrcpnq Dcgrcc Zcrc Pu||s
and bIack-and-vhile holograms in a sludio
vilh amIe Iighl, vhiIe lhe Siruc| |q Iigni coIor
holograms are shaed in lolaI darkness before
and afler lransienl exosures lo Iighl.
3. MichaeI WaIsh, hIm sludies schoIar and LIIen
Carey's former husband, used lhis hrase in 1996,
uon seeing her hrsl IoIaroid Pu||s, lo describe
her nev discovery concels and arlislic raclice.
4. YseuIl Chehala and Granl WiIIing, Aerlure
Ioundalion on Vimeo: 1nc |!gc cj Visicn |nicrticu
Scrics, (7:O6) video cIi of LIIen Carey resenling
her vorks in lhe Aerlure GaIIery exhibilion, 1nc
|!gc cj Visicn. 1nc Risc cj A|sircciicn in Pncicgrc-
pnq, book and exhibilion curaled by LyIe Rexer,
Nev York, NY, }uIy 2OO9 (hll:;;vvv.aerlure.
org;exosures;`lag=eIIen-carey).
5. Naomi RosenbIum, A Wcr|! Hisicrq cj Pncicgrc-
pnq, lhird edilion, (Nev York: AbbeviIIe Iress,
1997), 325 329.
6. LIIen Carey, CoIor Me ReaI, in Sc| IcWiii. 100
Vicus, eds. Susan Cross and Denise Markonish
(Nev Haven: YaIe Iniversily Iress, 2OO9).
7. LIIen Carey exhibiled and coIIaboraled vilh
curalor Nancy SluIa of lhe Lyman AIIyn Arl
Museum, Nev London, CT in ils 2OO6 2OO7
exhibilion, jcmmc |rui(c), and gave lhe evenl ils
slriking, uncooked lilIe.
8. YseuIl Chehala and Granl WiIIing, Aerlure
Ioundalion on Vimeo: 1nc |!gc cj Visicn |nicrticu
Scrics, (7:O6) video cIi of LIIen Carey resenling
her vorks in lhe Aerlure GaIIery exhibilion,
11nc |!gc cj Visicn. 1nc Risc cj A|sircciicn in
Pncicgrcpnq, book and exhibilion curaled by LyIe
Rexer, Nev York, NY, }uIy 2OO9 (hll:;;vvv.
aerlure.org;exosures;`lag=eIIen-carey).
9. Roberl Ailken, 1nc Min! cj C|ctcr. |sscqs in Zcn
Bu!!nisi |inics, (San Irancisco: Norlh Ioinl Iress,
1984), 6.
1O. Whal Is a Thing`, describes a 2OO9 holograh!
ic exhibilion from lhe Irincelon Iniversily Arl
Museum's ermanenl coIIeclion resenled in
resonse lo German hiIosoher Marlin Heide!
gger's queslion osed in his 195O Ieclure, The
Thing, as osled on lhe Web sile of lhe Irincelon
Iniversily Arl Museum, }une 2OO9, hll:;;vvv.
rincelonarlmuseum.org;evenls;Lxlended_
Iages;WHATISATHING; .
11. WiIIiam ulIer Yeals (1865 1939), from his oem,
Among SchooIchiIdren, 1nc Ncricn Aninc|cgq
cj |ng|isn Iiicrciurc, rev. voI. 2, ed. M. H. Abrams,
(Nev York: W. W. Norlon & Comany, 1968),
1,587.
12. Gary Snyder excerl, osled on oel Tom
Cheelham's ociaI Iog sile, A Music eyond
Meaning, hll:;;archaicfragmenls.bIogsol.com .
13. AdoIf Muschg, ciled secondariIy and vilhoul
allribulion in a Ieller lo lhe aulhor from lhe
direclor of lhe WorId WiIdIife Iederalion, Sviss
chaler, and lransIaled from lhe originaI German
by ellina Viereck, }une 2OO5.
14. Heriberlo Yez, Llhooelics, Whal Is Il` (Iarl
ne), osled on }erome Rolhenberg's ociaI
Iog sile Ioems and Ioelics, }une 2OO9, hll:;;
oemsandoelics.bIogsol.com. Yez vrole,
lherein, lhal Irench hiIosoher MicheI IoucauIl
rediscovered hov lo relhink hiIosohy nol |asj
a discourse-based disciIine bul as.lhe re-mak!
ing of man.roducing Ianguage in unexecled
vays.lo roduce sonlaneous lrulh.
15. LIIen Carey, sIide shov Ieclure, resenled by
lhe arlisl in landem vilh lhe exhibilion, Siruc|
|q Iigni, A Relroseclive of Iholograms (1992
2OO9) by LIIen Carey, Sainl }oseh CoIIege Arl
GaIIery, Wesl Harlford, CT, }une 2OO9, Ann H.
Sievers, GaIIery Direclor and Curalor.
16. Sun Piciurcs 1niriccn. An exhibilion calaIogue.
Texl by Larry }. Schaaf, in associalion vilh Hans
I. Kraus, }r., (Nev York: Hans I. Kraus, }r. Iine
Iholograhs, 2OO4), 38 39.
17. Viclor I. Sloichila, A Sncri Hisicrq cj inc Snc!cu"
(London: Reaklion ooks Lld., 1997), 15 2O.
18. LIIen Carey has slaled lhal her grandarenls had
a baby Sleinvay iano. When crilics comare
her arlvork lo abslracl ainling she says lhal for
her holograhy is an indeendenl arl form,
searale from ainling, and il's more Iike music, a
universaI Ianguage. Augusl 2OO9.
19. WaIIace Slevens (1879 1955), from his oem
The Man vilh lhe Iue Guilar, Tnc Pc|m ci inc
|n! cj inc Min!, (Nev York: AIfred A. Knof,
1971), 133.
2O. In Henry IurceII's oera, Di!c cn! Acnccs, 1689.
21. }ohn Hersey, Hiroshima, 1nc Ncu Ycr|cr"
Augusl 31, 1946. In lhis magazine arlicIe, Hersey,
an American noveIisl and |ournaIisl, inlervieved
six survivors of lhe alomic bomb bIasl conducled
by lhe American miIilary in 1946, vhich aImosl
obIileraled lhe enlire }aanese cily of Hiroshi!
ma. He mainlained a reorler's inlegrily for lhe
facls by Ielling lhe survivors' slories seak for
lhemseIves.
22. The Red Ihologram, 2OO9. A haibun vrillen
by Donna IIeischer in corresondence vilh a
dierenl red hologram by LIIen Carey, and ub!
Iished vilh olher oems of ekhrasis in "Visions,
Voices, and Verses," an anlhoIogy for lhe Nev
rilain Museum of American Arl, C. Haskins & A.
arlon, edilors, LxiIes Iress, WiIIimanlic, CT 2O12:
The Red Ihologram
The unIanned for lri began as I sleed back
from LIIen Carey's red hologram, "The shae
of grief is circuIar, lhe book reviever vrole of
Iorresl Gander's noveI, and I vonder lhal my
avidily for rocraslinalion lakes lhe shae of
vaIking in circIes. I sland sliII before lhe red ho!
logram for vhich I have no vords, of reIevance.
ul lhose red svirIs, lhey are lhere, every day,
and lhey make me smiIe.

LseciaIIy lhere in lhe Iale vinler bone-cIeaving
days vhen I begin lo feeI oul my circIe vaIks,
Iooking oul of vindovs, relurning lo a Iace onIy
lo Ieave. My ovn Greek chorus. Iirsl movemenls,
avay from a molher. Sleing back from a mirror,
slarlIed by lhe absence of somelhing. Remember!
ing and forgelling, unliI il becomes me. The il of
absence aIready slaged in lhe bIood.
urroughs caIIed il lhe sofl lyevriler of lhe
vomb lhe Iace vhere ve begin lo make hrsl
vords. uering ourseIves from her overIoud
hearlbeals, I suose. The beller vords, says
Rimbaud, are in lhe siIence of coIor.
shadovs of geese
ickering 'cross lree lrunks
quiel sring morning
So lhere il is, Arl, lhe uIlimale road lri, vilh
rickshav and naked feel and kasa slrung under
lhe chin vhiIe oals a iIIov of consciousness on
Iasl nighl's dream. A ainler friend's vords in an
e-maiI, lhe need lo re|ecl lhe vrillen vord;
numbers (ego) from our lhoughl rocess.When
il comes lo arl, I don'l knov anymore, he says.
IIeeling ercelions, aercelions. GIory of lhe
everyday of ordinary lhings lhal slay as ve ass
by lhem.1ncsc c|cssicc| Cnincsc pccis, Wcng Wci,
Ii Pc, Hcn Sncn, minimc|isi in siq|c cn! sc ccmp|cic|q
cm|c!ic! in incir cn!|css |ccting cn! rciurning. 1nc
circ|c.
The hrsl lime lhere is Loss il's aIready loo Iale
Loss circuIaling in endIess Ioos. You Iook
and vail, Iook and vail, for your Iove, your Iosl
one, lo relurn. The sound of your ovn bIood in
your ears vhen you are mosl aIone. The sound
of lhe earlh aII oened u and seaking, and lhe
mourner, vho Iislens, lhe undervorId slarIildark!
ness of lhe body emerging on lhe horizon of birlh.
hxing
Li Io's gale
November vind
If onIy one couId Iook inside lhis dark room of lhe
body. See lhe quiel, orderIy rocession of bIood.
Conlained. IurIe. A royaI Iife of ils ovn. Hear
lhe sofl,murmuring canaIs bIoom. }usl sland in
lhe sunIighl and cIose your eyes. Those red svirIs,
lhey'II make you smiIe.

Donna IIeischer
March 2OO9