Rhizome is a temporary site-specific installation that combines elements of local architecture and history to create a memorable experience for the viewing public. Using structural elements, video and sound, Rhizome is located in a former Plaza Midwood church, a site that embodies and reflects the history, culture and changes of Charlotte and reflects transformation and growth. Similarly, the Plaza Midwood neighborhood surrounding the church has a significant relationship with the greater Charlotte community -- once affected by economic decline, the neighborhood has bounced back to enjoy a renaissance.
An opening reception for Rhizome will be held on Friday, September 30 from 6:30 to 9 PM at 1201 Central Ave and will be open to the public Saturdays and Sundays during the month of October from 2 to 6 PM.
Rhizome was created by Candice Ivy and the following students of Architecture at the University of North Carolina Charlotte:
Cherish Rosas
John Winstead
Logan Chambers
Will Allen
Sean Wilson
Antonio Martinez
Jennifer Shields, Faculty Advisor
More Info: http://fluxwurx.com/installation/
Candice Ivy’s mixed media/installation work focuses on themes of cultural and personal history while exploring the relationship between family, the community and regional landscape. Her work has been shown in The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, the Sguardi Sonori 2007 Festival in Venice, Italy, and the Taipei Artist Village Barry Gallery in Taipei, Taiwan.
Ivy was an artist-in-residence at McColl Center for Visual Art in 2010. Her large-scale public installations have been seen throughout the east coast including the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston’s Old City Jail entitled "Murmur;" a sculpture, sound, and video installation depicting the active history of the jail. She has worked with three local high schools in the Charlotte area on site-specific installation/sculptures based upon the rich history of the communities where the schools are located. Also, she is also working with Rosedale Plantation’s slave descendants on a public installation dealing with the site’s history with slavery.
Candice Ivy was drawn to the vacant church on Central Ave because of its overall aesthetic beauty and architectural correlation to McColl Center for Visual Art and other churches in the area. Of the many churches built in the 1930’s, several of the uptown locations have transitioned into sites of artistic and cultural exchange – McColl Center for Visual Art, the former Afro-American Cultural Center, the Great Aunt Stella Center and Spirit Square are a few examples. The church was selected given its important link to the history of the community and culture. It is resonant as a symbolic space for individual experience, transformation and rites of passage. The church is also a gathering place for the fellowship of the community and in Southern culture particularly, an extension of the community.
McColl Center for Visual Art is grateful to Rhizome's other community partners:
McColl Center for Visual Art
UNCC College of Arts and Architecture
John Hatcher Realty
The Nichols Company