REVIEW: Combat Paper at Firehouse Gallery
by Karen M. Geiger
British sculptor Raymond Mason once commented that in true art “one sees the creator, dedicated to his appropriate forms…overwhelmed by a world more extraordinary than him.” “Combat Paper” is an almost perfect example of this sentiment. Created by artists and veterans, the show uses traditional papermaking techniques to transform old uniforms, currency, military manuals and other material into images and handmade books. Don’t go expecting to find a particular piece that is overwhelming. While individual works are both creative and well crafted, the real reason to see the Firehouse show is to experience what it means to watch artists who are dedicated to their form.
This is an installation in the truest sense of the word–the introduction of images through gradual and persistent measures. The front of the gallery is a dedicated work area where new paper is constantly being manipulated and formed. Here the artists, as well as groups of outsiders, pulp, shred, cut and tear– destroying in order to re-imagine and re-purpose. The work station is the heart of the operation; pumping and expanding outward to infuse the final product with substance. Somehow, content becomes part and parcel of the mix.
The result populates the walls of the entire gallery. Some pieces, like Indoctrination, Baghdad, and Healing are whole statements. Artist Robynn Murray used a pulped military uniform and military training manual to create three body casts. Other work is harder to pin down. For example, the two shelves worth of artist books in the back gallery. It is a collection of poetry, journals and drawings made from the macerated cloth and fiber. Words are a prominent feature of this project and yet another way the viewer is able to glimpse the actual act of creation. Books are after all, at their most base level, merely a collection of paper and words.
“Combat Paper” is not about war, although, if you asked one of the artists or veterans involved in the project they would probably disagree. Instead of looking for the strength of an artist’s vision, see rather, a vision of how the medium reflects the artist.
