"My first meal in Atlanta was at a Wendy's (since demolished) and was an altogether forgettable experience except for watching a child compress the wrapping on a straw and the excitement she felt as the straw expanded with a drop of water.

As I began to work on this installation which continued a body of work dealing with memory, I expanded the scope to include the anthropological concepts of identity and bi-culturalism; and the straws became a metaphor to represent my experience in America . A painful drawn out motion-symbolic of growth, rejuvenation and vitality.

In its entirety I view the various elements of this installation as a ritual, an attempt to exorcise the negativity becoming synonymous with the brown immigrant experience in America .

The project involved the design and fabrication of a customized table made from 2" tubular steel. The top rotated 360 degrees via a chain drive at 4 RPM. The rotational element of the piece symbolized the cyclical nature. "

The entire performance element lasted 3 hours.

The following people helped in making this installation possible.

Kelly Clark (Design/Fabrication)

Raquel Minina (Thematic Collaboration)

Todd Carson (Mechanical Design)

Soundtrack

Folke Rabe: What?? (Recorded 1970) - Dexter's Cigar

The recording is an exploration of tonality and harmonics related to the Sanskrit work OM recorded by a pioneering electronic composer Foke Rabe.