Claire Stephenson
Follow
Artist Statement
![Hard and soft gelatin sheets colored like bruises and memory foam that is cut into strips hung together with wire and string in a cocoon shaped form barely touching the ground and hung by a single line of twine weighing about 60lbs, tightly wrapped with naturally dyed yarn around and around again in some spots making it hard to see the layer underneath.](_images/01_clairestephenson-660x803.jpg)
my memory is not your memory // Gelatin, natural dye, found fabric, gesso, memory foam, twine, wire, naturally dyed yarn, human hair, dead flies, sweat, and tears // 5 x 3 feet
![Ethan, the performer is holding rope tied together in one hand and chain in the other swinging them about, hitting the ground forcefully with a rock and some more rope tied to the other end of the rope he is already holding, performing on top of the black glass abrasive.](_images/02_clairestephenson-660x827.jpg)
A Love Language Not Reciprocated I // Chain, rocks, cotton rope, black glass abrasive, playful yet abruptly aggressive and explorative performer // Performed by Ethan Samaha // Dimensions vary
![A film still picturing a large 8x10 foot canvas sprawled on the gallery floor after being dragged around in a disordered path for 4 minutes with dirt from Alfred and earthenware chunks and chia seeds dispersed on top after being sprinkled with some recycled rain water for potential growth. There is dirt near the windows across the room and my dissociated self is standing on the opposite side staring at the chia seeds for an undisclosed amount of time.](_images/03_clairestephenson-660x539.jpg)
protection pact; healing continues (film still from a private performance) // Dirt from his lawn, dirt from his side yard, dirt from his window sill flower planters, dirt from his garden bed, recycled earthenware wedged with the garden bed dirt, chia seeds grown in limited artificial light, chia seeds grown in full sunlight with plant food added once a week for 3 weeks, recycled rain water, torn cotton canvas, sweat, tears, black dress, self, the dissociated self, time, shadowed self, private performance
The video was projected in a loop on a white gallery wall with the original dirt used in the performance placed below but dustier and more dry // Dimensions vary
![Black glass abrasive is on the ground, a lumpy rolled form made of wood shavings wrapped in plastic sheeting about 4.5ft is curved in a slight crescent shape on the ground pushed towards the center of the gallery space away from the splash on the wall. There is a red watery liquid on the ground and splattered on the wall as high as 6 feet. Below the splatter there are about 8 smaller rock pieces and dents in the gallery wall above and around the splatter.](_images/04_clairestephenson-660x780.jpg)
A Love Language Not Reciprocated II //Chain, rocks, cotton rope, black glass abrasive, natural dye made with bugs blood and coffee and the roses you gave me when I was 9 years old for 3 consecutive weeks to stay quiet, plastic sheeting, wood shavings from the chair you sat in after like it was no big deal, gelatin // Dimensions vary
![A canvas about 6feet x 8feet painted neon green on one side and painted with white gesso on the other side. It is cut to shape resembling a soft splatter is hung by 4 of its fins while half of it slouches on the ground. The 4 fins are hung up by charcoal covered rope, knotted to create tassels to fit a hand or two through them. The entire floor is caked in black powdered charcoal. The piece is meant to be interactive so there are footprints left in the charcoal on the ground.](_images/05_clairestephenson-660x794.jpg)
s p l a t ! // Powdered charcoal, rope, canvas, gesso, neon green acrylic paint, gravity, interaction // Dimensions vary
![A colorfully painted cardboard collage representing an abstract garden is hung on the wall. There are pieces of canvas shaped like leaves, stems and grass covered in green silicone and are textured in various ways at the bottom of the wall piece. There is a white pellon soft structure rounded fence measuring 2.5 x 2.5 ft in front of the wall about 3.5ft from the painting. A line of white pellon in a fence motif again hangs above and falls down and out on the left side of the wall piece. There is pink-purple yarn attached and streams down from the right side of the wall piece and piles on top of each other as it reaches the ground.](_images/06_clairestephenson-660x648.jpg)
overgrown in the backyard of a highland lakes mansion // Cardboard, recycled brownie boxes, recycled cake mix boxes, recycled paper cookie bags, recycled tissue boxes, canvas, felt, yarn, tissue paper, acrylic, caulk // 5.5 x 7.5 x 9 feet
![A collage of various different natural and synthetic fabrics naturally dyed if the fabric allows, dyeing them to be green, red, pink, purple, indigo, yellow, and orange pinned to the gallery wall or draping over each other or the pole form wrapped in purple yarn on the left side creating movement and a skyscape of color using references found in the home from clothesline, to perfectly organized closets to traditional dining room table cloths.](_images/07_clairestephenson-660x423.jpg)
color field // Wool, silk, cotton, and synthetics, naturally dyed with plants from western NY and central Ohio, cardboard, tacks // 9.5 x 7 x 3 feet
![A very long runway created entirely of thread and recycled jean pant legs with a figure at the end dressed in a black dress and black socks walking a stereotypical runway model walk.](_images/08_clairestephenson-660x940.jpg)
runway potential // Recycled jean pant legs, self, black outfit, runway model walk // 2.75 x 18 feet
![3 large sheets of naturally cured gelatin and 1 smaller sheet hang from chains in front of a window with a pile of gelatin skins on the ground below it all adorned with the red coloring made up of silicone and red iron oxide to enhance the holes in the sheets that look like cuts and the chain is rubbed with that mixture as well.](_images/09_clairestephenson-660x558.jpg)
glimmering in ferocity // Gelatin, silicone, red iron oxide, chalk, chain // Dimensions vary
![A close up of a thin sheet of gelatin cured to a natural form as it isn't perfectly flat, with red, brown, and yellow coloring dispersed about it highlighting the parts that look like cuts. A chain caked in the red coloring hangs in front of it to the left side of the image.](_images/10_clairestephenson-660x989.jpg)
close-up of glimmering in ferocity // Gelatin, silicone, red iron oxide, chalk, chain