About a year ago I had an idea for a show based around secrets. I was going to make containers for holding secrets. The idea was inspired from being an educator and being in the classroom, hearing everyone’s private stories. Students can be so candid when talking about their projects, or sometimes, just in casual conversation with their classmates. I consider myself a story-teller, but I have never asked anyone directly to share a story. It has always been my secret that I collect stories and make work that is based on those stories. I have definitely borrowed information for my work from my surroundings, especially my jobs. I have been a hairdresser, photographer, caregiver, artist and educator. So this project started with the task of collecting secrets. I made up packets, and asked friends, across the country, to be "secret collectors". Each collector received a group of packets. Each packet contained envelopes with a piece of paper inside. The paper stated: “Many of us have secrets, feel free to share your secret, please be anonymous, and put your secret back in your envelope, seal the envelope and give the secrets back to your secret collector."I did not want to know who wrote the secret. When I got the secret packets back, I purposely mixed them up, so that I could not identify the author or the location from which they came.
I received about a hundred envelopes back out of a hundred fifty that I’ve sent out. Lately I have been in the habit of opening a secret a day, and the responses are fascinating. Some people say they do not have secrets (whatever), some people talk about their desire to sleep with certain people. Others wrote about their childhood secrets.
The funny thing is that in my daily life people often reveal their secrets to me without much prompting; however, when an individual is asked to share their secret in writing they are much more apprehensive. The act of committing something to paper, giving it a physical form, making it permanent has a halting affect. Some people stapled their envelope, as if to provide extra protection to the secret inside.
The next step was to make the containers to house the secrets. The containers are to reflect the secrets inside. There is a caveat. While the actual secrets will be placed inside the container, they will remain a mystery until the container is purchased. Until the decision is made to purchase the container; until there is a commitment to own it, the secret remains inside. The concept is based on the premise that we do not always know what we are getting into when we start a relationship. Each container, just like each of us has something inside, it might be remarkably good, or it might be extraordinarily harmful, whatever it is, it is hidden inside and is not readily revealed. Eventually it comes out. We are all human and, we all have greed, lust, jealousy, fear, love, and joy. The containers will surely be reflective of the secret inside, and just like in real life the buyer has to be observant
The show will be held at the Mudfire Studio, 175 Laredo Drive in Decatur, GA. Opening night day/date/times will be announced soon. Stay tuned for more details to follow…