"It's kind of an excuse to research something. It's this chance to learn more about something in the world and be able to formulate some kind of response."

My blogging absence has been hanging over my head as of lately, but today I found a new power couple that have inspired me far too greatly not to write about them. I was hooked the instant the above statement was made by Jennifer Allora, half of the duo that have collaborated since 1995. The other half is Guillermo Calzadilla and they both reside and work in San Juan, Puerto Rico. PBS describe the artists: "Allora & Calzadilla approach visual art as a set of experiments that test whether ideas such as authorship, nationality, borders, and democracy adequately describe today’s increasingly global and consumerist society. Their hybridized works—often a unique mix of sculpture, photography, performance, sound and video—explore the physical and conceptual act of mark making and its survival through traces. By drawing historical, cultural, and political metaphors out of basic materials, Allora & Calzadilla’s works explore the complex associations between an object and its meaning."

Here are a few works that I was personally inspired by:

"Chalk"

(Lima) Installation at Pasaje Santa Rosa, Lima, Peru, 2002

Artists placed oversized pieces of chalk in a public political place to invite people to leave their mark. See short clip on "Chalk" here.

"Charcoal Dance Floor"

Installation, The Project, New York, 2001

This installation is an extremely detailed charcoal drawing of an aerial view of club-goers in Puerto Rico. As individuals walk across the floor, the charcoal smears and the image slowly disappears. For an interesting extended explanation, visit the Walker Art Center's website.

"Clamor"

Mixed-media sculpture, approximately 15 x 30 feet (diameter). Installation view: The Moore Space, Miami. 2006

See short clip and interview based on "Clamor" from artists here.

"Returning a Sound"

Single channel video with sound, 5 minutes 42 seconds. 2004

See video here.