The above images were taken at
the exhibits Shaved and Adorned, Carnegie Art Center in Buffalo,
New York, and Fringe and Fancy at Southwestern College in San Diego,
Ca. One of the primary concerns with all of Dillemuth's work is the immediate
connotations and relationships between materials and processes. The artist
likes to juxtapose the natural with the cultural; shaved wood pieced together
like tinker toys adorned with various items found in the bathroom, bedroom,
closet, playroom, and garage. The whittling of wood, sometimes considered
a crude craft, seems to come with a ready made boyish narrative. Many of the
other materials Dillemuth uses entail memory or nostalgia. The shows explore
a full range of senses; the sounds of running water and music, the smell of
moss, and various opportunities to touch, hold, and play with the interactive
pieces. The 'life' of the work is very much a product of the mix of these
materials and constuction methods.
There are a number of narratives or stories
at work in the installations. The 'bath' or cleansing narrative with its reference
to the body, examines issues of sexuality and identity. Funny, absurd, and
sometimes disturbing, the baby baths are adorned with feminine articles and
operate with the aid of mechanical gadgetry that tries to mimic the maternal
presence. Here front porch Americana meets Freud and Lacan, the back woodsy
boy whittles his way to the lost object. Closely linked to the cleansing story,
is a puritanical ethic towards work and sex. A busy body is a good body. Evidence
of the work ethic can be seen in the compulsive undertaking to fit the numerous
whittlings together. Within this context, sex and its various expressions,
take on deviant and perverse qualities, undermining the task at hand.
Both of these exhibits function as 3D cartoons.
Dillemuth says that as a child he spent alot of time watching TV cartoons.
The whimsical and whacky quality of the domestic contraptions, toys, and furniture
show some of that influence. The jokster or clown makes himself known here.
He sets the tone and acts as mediator between the imaginary and the real,
charming and seducing the viewer into buying the narrative. Play
is the thread that ties all the work together. It's the motivating drive in
the work, supplies the humor, gives form to the jokster, and invites the viewer
to participate. It also allows the pieces to do their own little dance independent
of the critique and story.