Isaac Williams--Craft Matching Content: Part I

You could never imagine the contents of an entire room suspended from yarn until you see the magic of Isaac Williams’ environment puppet coming to life right here at the Noyes Cultural Art Center. As a part of the “Rock, Paper, Scissors” exhibit, “Husk” takes the craft of handmade paper and the fertile content of a family dining room to an unprecedented level by creating an installation filled with subtle hints and undertones of consumption and consumerism.

Isaac Williams, or “Zeke” as he likes to be called, was born and raised traditionally in the Midwest with chores like setting up the dinner table every night for his family. It’s that place of communion that has inspired his latest installation. From dinnerware to chairs to a hutch, all of the installation’s pieces come together as a hanging static display and are intended to be manipulated by viewers over time, thus giving them the ability to “make the artwork happen.” The piece is even topped off with a delicate framing to resemble a hanging work of art.

Consumption being one of its main themes, “Husk” depicts a basic place of unity where so many people gather to dine. Zeke makes these themes as subtle as possible, however. For example, the dining table fits together like a puzzle of continents and bodies of water to represent a globe of the world. This along with other abstractions within Zeke’s creation allows the viewers’ imagination to run wild.

Interested in these alterations of reality, Zeke decided to take up installations as his artistic passion for a number of reasons. He believes the content comes across better and that the overall environment confronts and speaks to people more. The art industry is constantly competing with high levels of mainstream entertainment like movie theatres and amusement parks, so installing an environment makes Zeke him feel like he is bringing people back to the gallery for a unique experience. The interactive factor of his artwork additionally provides a lasting impact in the viewer’s memory.

If you’re up the challenge, experience this for yourself from September 18th to November 11th at the Noyes Cultural Art Center. The Gallery reception for “Rock, Paper, Scissors” will be held on October 11th from 2-4 pm as a kickoff to Evanston’s Annual Arts Week.

This is Kristina signing out…