Submerged Realities: People Ain’t No Good
Erin Parish’s Submerged Realities: People Ain’t No Good is an immersive installation that confronts the environmental and emotional consequences of ocean dumping and humanity’s neglect of marine ecosystems. Originating as a buy-nothing project, the exhibition explores parallels between the chaos within our minds and the disorder we inflict upon the natural world.
Created by Erin Parish, the installation is a multisensory experience that immerses visitors in a marine- like environment filled with Assisted Readymades, a la Duchamp. Visitors navigate the gallery amidst strategically placed obstacles, evoking feelings of discomfort, vulnerability, and reflection. During the reception, formal lighting will be absent, compelling guests to use cellphone flashlights to illuminate sculptures, evocative of the murky depths of the sea. The deliberate aesthetic reflects the psychological turmoil often experienced in a world marked by environmental degradation. Each piece in Submerged Realities carries a personal narrative. Returning to storytelling in her art, Parish draws on her life experiences and objects, a departure from her upbringing that discouraged personal exposure in creative work. Inspired by the stories of fellow transplanted Miami artists, Parish allows herself to be seen in ways previously unexplored. The exhibition’s sculptures are crafted from personal artifacts: syringes, medicine bottles, a particular childhood lamp, an 1880s wooden wheelchair, a faux hearth, a set of dining chairs, shopping cart, flatscreen TV, deer antlers, her grandfather’s Art Deco clock, her boxing hand wraps, her grandmother’s hats, and family photos. A chandelier carries local history, having been part of Kerry Phillips’ show at the Bass Museum, further enriching the narrative. Submerged Realities: People Ain’t no Good uses video, sound, installation, and sculpture to create an experience inspired by the artist’s love of historical museum dioramas. Influenced by the Dadaists, Joseph Cornell, the Cass Corridor movement, and the Kienholzs, the work invites audiences to question their relationship with materialism and convenience while envisioning a future that honors the oceans as vital, living systems.
