Heather Olker

“Remembering” employs confessional performance to consider trauma from an interior and psychological perspective. Through a simultaneously soothing and painful ritual, the viewer can observe the stages of recovery from denial to acceptance and healing.

The project is a multi-channel installation with sound and sheer textiles. The arrangement of the installation takes on the form of a maze to mirror the complexities of the human mind as it navigates grief, trauma, and recovery; around each corner, a new set of monitors can be seen.

Based on my personal history, feminist themes have been a focal point for decades. While the process and planning of my work can evoke feelings of frustration and anger, I find in its expression a release of negative energy and healing that I hope to pass along to others. While art alone cannot change the world, it can influence the zeitgeist in which we all operate. Artworks can function as a catalyst for necessary discourse and transformation.

artist’s website

© Heather Olker