Rachel Hines

Before the age of twelve I had moved nine times. Because of finances, divorces, and jobs, our family was forced to live the life of gypsies. I began to view relationships as temporary experiments. I forced bonding quickly, knowing in the back of my mind that there was an impending departure ahead.

Through sculptures such as Inclined, (2008) and Back and Forth, (2011), I set up artificial circumstances for intimacy. These performative sculptures describe the action I request from the viewers by the form that they take. In Back and Forth two swings are attached to one another at eye level. When the participants engage with the sculpture they negotiate the terms of use in the same physical, verbal, and visual ways one determines power in a relationship.

Similarly, my videos experiment with relationship limits, testing them through simple actions. In Trying, (2009) two figures sit facing one another in a canoe as they paddle. The result of this action is that the boat turns in circles, commenting on the endless work of being with another individual as well as the constant desire to reach the other person.

Recent performances such as will you spoon with me?, (2008), Call me when you get this, (2010) and Lollygagging, (2011) involve challenging myself and the viewer to bridge the gap from strangers to lovers.  In will you spoon with me? I built a six-foot tall bed in the gallery and asked gallery goers to climb up the stairs and spoon. For five days I did this same action with over 100 people.

I’ve watched the formation of connections carefully throughout my life. My work attempts to manifest these observations in a relatable and experiential way. I feel the distance between the viewer and myself. Each piece attempts to analyze the reason for that separation and to close the spaces.