Little Creatures
Then Somewhere They Must Be Believing In Me
During the COVID lockdown, I did a whole lot of nothing. Jon Read on the other hand crafted little creatures out of mechanical toys, coating them with Foam Clay and painting them with fluorescent paints. (Foam Clay is a kind of craft material used by cosplay people to craft their costumes and masks. Read got Foam Clay at Tech Land, a Houston store specializing in theatrical gear.) Read’s artwork has had theatrical elements in the past, mostly made of wooden cutouts in the shape of figures who could be monsters, super-heroes, or mythological beings, displayed either alone of in diorama-like settings.
The fluorescent creatures in this new installation seem to be an outgrowth of this body of work. Last Saturday, he set them all up in a blackened room at Ruth Street Projects, on a table with fresh batteries.
This exhibit/performance was called “Then Somewhere They Must Be Believing In Me”. It was one of two highly theatrical exhibits I attended Saturday. It seems like the holiday season has brought out the decorative installation vibe in Houston’s artistic community. I wonder if it is related to the impulse of suburban burghers to build out elaborate Christmas decorations. It’s in the air in December.
This purple monster had the ability to breathe mist.
These photos do not do justice to the glowing weirdness of Read’s installation.
The table was surrounded by chicken wire to keep the creatures from walking off the edge. Viewers could pick up creatures from a table off to the side and add them to the installation.
Does this work have any particular meaning (beyond “fun”)? Read had at one point contemplated making a movie with the creatures. He even filmed a trailer for it:
The “spitting tree” was a phrase Read heard in a dream. He produced the spooky music, as well. (Read is a one-man rock band, amusingly named The Wiggins.)
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