Stress Ball, 2022, Stress Ball, Wood, Arduino, 4in x 4in x 5in
NANCY DALY
Artist Statement
My most recent body of work, “Ruminations” are visualizations of time wasted. To ruminate is to mediate or muse, to ponder, to brood. There is no completion to the thought, there is only the thought, performed over and over, often resulting in increased anxiety. It is simply the act of thinking, the work of thinking, with no conclusion. “Ruminations” labors over the ideas of work and time in the era of late-stage capitalism. It explores the absurdity of this era, the impulse for constant productive action, and how this changes our relationship to time. Through solitary durational performances in which I perform a single action simply for the sake of performing the action I reference a productive, purposeful form of work but the products of said work in this case are pointless, non-functional objects. They are repeated to a point of destruction – absurdity to challenge the notion of productivity. They are documented and presented as complete objects representing a specific period of time, although they could be added to ad infinitum.
In addition to the sculptures and drawings that represent unseen durational actions, are a series of machines that address the burnout associated with my attempt to keep up in a world where lists of tasks are there to help us achieve work goals and a constant flow of apps, listicles and quick videos outline more tasks urging us to also work toward relaxation and balance. These machines explore the idea of having my work, work for me. A stress ball is mechanically squeezed by a machine in order to outsource my stress relief while 2 more are permanently crushed in a clamp. 3 computer mice work continuously with the aid of mouse movers to complete a series of drawings on the computer on the other side of the gallery that will one day become my next completed series of artwork. Meanwhile, in “Job Switching”, a chocolate is dropped from a seemingly endless reserve onto a conveyor belt each time I get an email and leave it unread for more that 60 seconds throughout the show. With no one there to do anything with the chocolate, it rides the conveyor belt to its end and lands on the floor below.
My artistic practice examines systems created and/or perpetuated by technology and the effects these systems have on identity and social behavior. By creating interactive machines reminiscent of outdated technology, prints, replicas and sculptures, I address the contradictions present in various social media that are at once ephemeral and entirely permanent. Interactivity and the vocabulary of minimalist sculpture are key elements of my installations that challenge the viewer to look beyond the user-friendliness of online technology and consider what their participation in these technologies mean.