KIM BENNETT

IMPROVE EACH SHINING HOUR

 
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MATERIALS

Rope, duct tape, painters tape, tree stakes

CONSIDERATIONS

How do materials and place infer meaning to artwork?
How do we mark time today compared to the past?
Are some timely events more important to mark than others?
Has your sense of time changed since the pandemic began?
What are some of the ways you pass time?

REFERENCE SOURCES

ARTWORK NOTES

Improve Each Shining Hour explores the idea of time and the many ways people track its passage. It showcases the monkey fist knot, first used as a heaving line by early sailors when casting for shore. Those with children at Jefferson Elementary in Berkeley will recognize this knot as a badge of honor — a recognition for caring and thoughtful student acts. Knots are a constant —just look around and you’ll see examples everywhere, starting with your shoes. History suggests these essential tools may even predate humans, as simple versions are used by gorillas to construct nests. Kim’s piece also reflects her passion for handwork, particularly embroidery. Her colorful canvas works are full of movement and meaning evoked by a simple stitch. The moralistic Victorian poem by Isaac Watts was a source of inspiration for this installation. It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to productivity and how children should focus their energies.


ARTIST BACKGROUND

Kim Bennett has a BFA from the Cooper Union and an MFA from California College of the Arts, where she is an Adjunct Professor. She has exhibited her work in the Bay Area at Stephen Wirtz Gallery, pied-à-terre and Interface Gallery, as well as Transmitter Gallery in New York and Conduit Gallery in Dallas. She is the recipient of a Creative Time commission, a Toby Devan Lewis Fellowship, and a Kala Parent Artist Fellowship.