Baggage Claims, the exhibition at the Weatherspoon Art Museum in Greensboro, NC curated by Judith Hoos Fox and Ginger Gregg Duggan. The Show runs from JAN 27 - APR 22, 2018.
Artist Avery Lawrence exhibits his performance art Arranging Suitcases.
In Arranging Suitcases, the protagonist traverses a railroad, a canal, and a street while carrying an enormous burden of luggage, within which lies the different parts of a mysterious instrument that he assembles and plays in the final scene.
Drawing inspiration from early cinema and contemporary performance artists, I craft this visual yarn keeping in mind moments from my family history. I incorporate the personal stories, implicit in the narratives, hoping to enhance the sense of sincerity and intimacy in the film. In Arranging Suitcases, I draw from the story of how my paternal grandmother transitioned in life after her first husband died. She reconnects with an old friend that she marries and moves to a new town to start a new life.
In the same manner as Moving a Tree, I present this film in a carefully curated environment that heightens the immediacy of the work for the viewer. The film, shown on a large, flat-screen television, is surrounded by custom wallpaper, character drawings, and objects from the production.
