Eli Kessler
Art of repair
Social practice, digital printed banners, and sculpture
ABOUT THE art
Art of Repair stems from the impulse to work with the local community to replace broken windows free of charge and to stabilize, remove, and frame broken window glass as an art object. Within the social practice component, the replacement of broken windows is a gesture that signifies compassion and investment in the community. The framed broken window glass is later exhibited in a public setting. The window replacement process and framed broken windows are documented at www.artofrepair.org.
For this project, the artist worked with a local glass company to replace a broken window at Mollie’s Sweet Treats -N- Things, 446 E. South Street, Akron. The photographs of this storefront display document the replaced window and the interior of Mollie’s Sweet Treats -N- Things. The sculpture of the large-scale liberty coin conceptually relates to this site, a financial institution, connecting the gesture of free repair to emphasize that community investment is a necessity that outweighs individual financial gain. The backdrop gradients relate to the spectral color of light traveling through a glass prism, poetically connecting glass, light, and color to enhance the empty space. The storefront installation connects a big business to a small business and Downtown Akron to South Street by promoting Mollie’s Sweet Treats -N- Things and activating the storefront in Huntington Tower.
ABOUT THE artist
Eli Kessler approaches sculpture as a way to examine particular artifacts, rituals, and cultural phenomena. Within his process, ideology and iconography are cut up, rematerialized, and arranged in an attempt to find meaning. His work has led him to investigate methods such as metal fabrication, woodworking, video, casting, and digital fabrication.
