Ava Wadleigh: BFA Artist Talk

Facilitated by Western Gallery intern Amelia O'Brien.

Artist Statement

My work explores the transformative process where the mundane becomes enchanting in our everyday lives through the lens of “fairy circles”. The project began by using screen print to create cards with imagery of mushrooms collected, observed, and illustrated from my own environment. These cards served as a medium for people to share 'enchantments', moments or experiences from their lives that had enchanted them. I took inspiration from Ross Gay and his Book of Delights, a collection of essays that “celebrate ordinary delights in the world around us”. However the distinction I was seeking between enchantment and delight lies in the idea that enchantment does not occur in parallel with delight, but instead follows it - if one takes the time to notice.

In order to draw out this reflection from the viewer I sought to create a space for it, otherworldly and yet familiar in substance. Ten unique sculptural pieces hum with a soft, colored light, each taking the form of a different mushroom to form a fairy circle around the viewer. The space is filled with soundscapes composed from the enchantments shared on cards- how and where people have found enchantment influences the rhythms and melodies, building an immersive atmosphere rooted in collective experience. In the center, a smaller circle of mushrooms sits, allowing the viewer who interacts with it to change the sounds and lights in the space.