I have an especially intimate experience with Valerie Constantino's work. I was hired by Professor Constantino to photograph her installation, as well as each individual piece. The small scale of most of the work and the neutral colors lends to the show's presence as quiet; there is nothing flashy about it. Colors aren't vivid and nothing is loud. One absolutely needs to walk right up to each piece to really appreciate it.
Left: After Valentina Tereshkova 1 (Performace with Star Trails) 2016, photomontage
Right: After Valentina Tereshkova 2 (I am Seagull) 2016, assemblage with photomontage on silk, embroidery, faux leather, motion detector, composition of found audio including voice of Valentina Tereshkova from space
When I first walked into the show, the work didn't feel like it all belonged in the same exhibit. It rather felt like three, separate bodies of work installed in the same space. The work draws inspiration from the narrative poem After Nature by W.G. Sebald. The pieces are Constantino's interpretation of the lives and works of others. In After Valentina Tereshkova 1 (Performance with Star Trails), Constantino has presented herself with a self-portrait as cosmonaut Tereshkova in the appropriate uniform, with digitized star trails behind her. With Valentina Tereshkova 2 (I am Seagull), Constantino has a motion detector that plays the voice recording of Tereshkova in space, when someone walks by it.
After Valentina Tereshkova 3 (Blue Arc) 2016, mixed media on paper
One of my favorite pieces is After Valentina Tereshkova 3 (Blue Arc). What seems to be a sort of graphite rubbing on the paper with deckled edges is minimal and really engaging in its presence. The blue curve that comes down the center is a representation of the curve of the Earth that Tereshkova saw from space.
There's a lot that can be said about each piece in the exhibit. The one thing that's ultimately clear is Constantino's interest in and effective use of non-traditional material in her work.
Photo by Polo Lopez
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