February 2019

Missing a Moment that Never Happened

by Kansas

About the Creator

Growing up on a farm in rural Kansas was the perfect setting for an eager explorer. On the farm, there was always something new to discover and endless materials to play with. One of her long term projects is the documentation of Bob’s Trailer. After her great grandfather’s house was left in disrepair, it was bulldozed to make room for a new trailer home. Eventually, the trailer was also abandoned and left to collapse. Christina reclaimed the space, by dragging in remnants of the original two story farmhouse back into the trailer. During different times of day and different seasons of the year, she documents the space and has been able to see the changes in the installation over a three year period. Christina Received her Bachelor in Fine Arts from Kansas State University and her Master of Fine arts from Florida State University. She is currently a Fulbright Scholar at the Academy of Arts in Nuremberg. ARTIST STATEMENT There is something alluring about an abandoned house in the countryside, the weathered structure still proudly standing as a testament of a life gone. As I near the home and walk among the rubble, I am intrigued by the artifacts left behind. Clothes, shoes and other relics are proof that a life once existed among the decay. There is beauty in the way these houses fall apart. Sunlight shines through the rafters, peers through cracks in the windows, casting light on the floor much like the reflections through cathedral windows. In rural Kansas and other places in the Midwest, this is a common occurrence as the dynamics of the agriculture industry and the economy change. I find more and more significance in these structures, especially as I myself have left home in search of jobs elsewhere. My work is the combination of my own imagination, observation and collecting stories from local residents. There is a sense of nostalgia that comes with rural living. Stories of the good old days are commonplace, imbued with a deep sense of longing to return life to the way it once was. But as time passes and the stories are told and retold, they themselves are warped, the memories becoming fragmented. When talking about the past, it always seems like life used to be perfect. The struggles once faced are forgotten while only the pleasant memories remain. Perhaps this is a blessing. Perhaps we all long for these special moments that never happened.