Fiona Libby

Architecture major

It is difficult to choose any one word that describes my work as an artist. I would first say that I am an architecture student. Under this title, I build models and work in two and 3 dimensions digitally. Next I would describe myself as a drawer, as I have drawn since before I can remember. I have also experimented in many media. I have painted, sculpted in clay, carved wood, forged iron, needle felted, created stained glass pieces, and many others. However I find that many of my projects center around place; how a project sits in its environment, how to use one's surroundings to create a place of healing, using local materials to sharpen one's sense of place. Thinking about my surroundings, how they shape me and how I shape them permeates my day to day life, and is the focus of my work.

Never Started Never Finished

wood, artist books

Jewett Gallery

2 books standing upright on a white background; the left is shorter, ochre-colored, white rectangle on spine and at base of spine text 'ca. 07.2018'; right book is taller, reddish brown, with gold text 'Boots' on spine and front cover, at bottom of spine '12.01.2020'

As the title of the project suggests, nearly all of my projects are in one of two states: never started, or never finished. I've spent my whole life thinking of a new idea, becoming fixated on that idea anywhere from a few weeks to a few years, and eventually that project gets pushed to the side by a new one. Many of these ideas have remained just that, and those that have been started in some physical form - whether in writing or a 3d creation - rarely reach a finished stage. The goal of this project is to find and give space to the potential in incompleteness. I wanted to give these projects a physical manifestation and a place to gather them and allow for me to build on them in the future. To fulfill this I created a library of sorts. Each book box contains a project, to whatever extent that project has been hashed out in my mind, through sketches, write-ups, inspirations, materials, models, etc. While this project aims to collect my ideas and give a place to those that exist only as mental sketches, it is itself an incomplete project; as ideas are born they will find a place on the bookshelf. In fact, if you visit the exhibit multiple times, you may see more books sneaking onto the shelves.

installation view of white pedestal with small box and instructions on top at left; white bookshelf at right with 3 shelves, each with an artist book/box and one with additional pieces and curls of cream-colored paper

white-gloved hands holding a brown book with word 'Boots' in gold on spine and cover

white-gloved hands opening a handwritten note while holding photos over an open artist book box

white-gloved hands holding photos, one color group photo, one black and white photo of a child, over an open artist book box

ochre-colored artist book box standing up alone on a white shelf; white rectangles on spine and cover, text at bottom of spine 'ca. 07.2018'

upright instruction card, black text on white, explaining how to open and handle the artist book boxes

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