MOLLY MAC FEDYK
Dualist, 2008
Dualist is the first work in the Epitomes series. Epitomes use makeshift physiologies to navigate absurd systems of means, ends, and norms. The dualist is equipped with a crude Cartesian anatomy: his mind and body are connected by a squidgy pineal gland. He thinks all over himself. His thoughts pool at his feet, but he keeps them neatly composed within the rectangular boundaries of his platform. It is elegant abjection.
My practice walks a fine line between absurdity and humanism. Making work is like an elaborate game of charades. I use objects, ideas and costumes assembled from my immediate periphery as props. I document the charades and systems with video, stills, and sound. As an editor I will approach this footage with relentless formal logic. I want compositions that diagram and render at the same time. Work is successful when it is completely convinced of its own absurd formal order but still captures the initial human impulse of the charade.
