Annette Lawrence

LUMINOUS PAPER SPHERE #2

2011
photocopy and acrylic on paper
26 x 34 inches

From November 2011 through April 2012, Annette Lawrence worked with Dallas Museum of Art visitors to create a coiled line of paper made from torn strips joined together piece-by-piece. The simple, meditative act proved to be surprisingly seductive to visitors. Lawrence describes the activity:

The activity of building the line was a slow going meditative process that adults seemed to enjoy more than children. Building long lines out of paper has become a central part of my studio practice in the past three years. Making a long line gives us an opportunity to reflect on the transition from analog to digital information systems. This line is homage to the materiality of analog information. The unspooled line recalls countless footage of unfurled tape or film of the past.

Like much of her work, the paper line – and the resulting rubbings and photographs (seen here in Luminous Paper Sphere #2) – becomes an elegant and humble moment of reflection on the passage of time and our deep connection to the material world. Lawrence has an extensive exhibition history that includes her Concentrations exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Whitney Biennial. Lawrence’s Coin Toss is one of AT&T Stadium’s most prominent installations. Her work is likewise represented in museums across the country, and she has taken part in numerous international residencies.