View of Paved Land

Poem by Mo Maria Sarkis

Flow sail color

Tunnel tongue

Venter light

Surface of an end

Gender

Fluidity of a venter

Image hose

Dust

Contact

March class

Cell bawl

Chamber negation

Sign

Feminine device

Weight image sound

Influx gravity

Wound

Site liquidity

Title membrane

Commodity

Repulse

Tower indication

Body template

Device

Pact mass

Sail

Dust arousal

Line picture

Hose land

Protest

Texture genealogy

Pour

Conversion

Encoding delirium

Address self

Criterion virginal

Rumbling

Gap formation inability block

Invasion extortion

Position

Flow

Hallucination

Organism void

Derivation mystery

Commodity space

Anxiety

Field injury

Liquidity

Excess

Repulse cell pole

Instrument

Sun

Dependence surface

Stick lavatory

Rumbling

Tool

Geography

Waves

Stagnation self

Temporal

Combination convergence

Fluid alteration

Production

Entry plantation group

Collection cut title

Consumption opinion suppression

Path

Perception norm

Interior eye

Modesty

Interference negation

Objection infraction

Dialectic

Stone

Eye

Delight germ

Archaeological mixture

Menstruation

Scene

Eye tongue

Gender

Kind sun

Domain area

Gap range fracture

Tear

Jump section

Displacement branch share

Dismissal

Copyright Mo Maria Sarkis, all rights reserved by the artist.

Untitled: upturnedhouse was initially shown in New York, where it was installed in a very ad hoc way. This process had to be radically changed when it was agreed that it would be shown in the Carnegie. All its failings exploded into reality. The challenge was to retain its haphazard character, but to construct it as a permanent object. It was as if my love of the conflicting nature of making and un-making were being meticulously scrutinized as a badly told lie — I felt like a criminal whose devious activities were on trial. It was all for good, though; I have been giving my ways of making and un-making a tougher, mental acknowledgement. My works are now being shown more than once — something I do not have much experience with, since in the past my works have been shown and then destroyed, with some materials being salvaged for future use. Making more permanent works has made me more resilient and purposeful about my building and re-building methods. It can be gruelling, and yes, the resulting works are hard won, not necessarily always in a good way. I’m still hanging onto an uneasy relationship with whether the works are ever finished or not, because it generates excitement and uncertainty. I never know if more should be added or removed. I don’t doubt what I am doing, but I want the freedom to change my mind and to be able to undo today’s job tomorrow, regardless of whether it turns out well or badly. I want a fluid thinking process to be realized in the material reality of the work itself, to try and narrow the gap between thought and action.

Phyllida Barlow, in conversation with Vincent Fecteau in Bomb Magazine.