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Ela, en expanding portrait (2007)

Digital frame and Contract

Mervyn, en expanding portrait, 2007, digital frame on base connected to artist website

Ela, en expanding portrait_2007, digital frame on base connected to artist website

Press Release, Kaufmann Repetto Gallery

mervyn, an expanding portrait is a photographic portrait presented in a digital frame connected to an internet site. a contract commits the artist to send images from the site to the digital frame until her death. a paper copy of the first image is preserved in the drawer at the base of the frame, while the subsequent images – whose frequency and content are decided by the artist – will contribute to the expansion of mervyn’s portrait, now a small child. the last image sent by the artist before her death will be preserved in the drawer along with the first, after which the frame will be turned off definitively. the exhibition will be held until may 19th 2007. for further information, or to request material, please do not hesitate to contact the gallery.

“The artist agrees to transmit images of Ela (now seven years-old) to the digital photo frame until her death at which time the frame will be turned off.
A minimum of one snapshot and a maximum of 50 may appear in one day. The snapshot will change at the artist’s discretion, the aim being to expand the portrait of Ela. The rhythm of the photographs and transitions between them will vary. The viewer cannot go back and review past photographs. The viewer cannot make any attempts to contact the artist or Ela.

A 10 x 15 cm paper print of the first snapshot of Ela is in the drawer in the base of the piece. A paper print of the last image shown will be sent to the owner upon the death of the artist. The last image is to be stored with the first image in the base drawer.”

This text accompanied the above piece of which are three versions: Ela, Ty, and Mervyn. These fictional characters are loosely based on the artist’s three children that are constructed over time using images of the children. The owner of the piece follows the life of the child into adulthood, creating for herself a narrative based on the transmitted images. Upon the purchase of the piece, the artist signs a contract binding her to uphold the above agreement until her death.