I perform acts of invented, unnecessary physical labor. I create work. Looking back to a time before cubicles and factories – before the specialization of labor – I investigate the idea of respect toward and within manual work, often in the natural environment as pioneers and frontiersman might have done. I attempt to dispute the romanticized view of farming/rural life as a “simple” life by performing labor within the context of fine art. I embrace the irony in viewing art, which is perceived as a leisure activity in our culture, when the art itself examines work.
My own life working as a farmer and woodsman has enabled me to make use of personal experience in my art. The actions, repetitions, periods of rest, and possibility of failure within work are of particular interest to me. I challenge myself by translating these episodes of effort and rest into moving images, audible events, performances, or created environments. I believe it is important to reflect upon my routines and those of others within the realm of the everyday.
untitled [ca.the.dra], 2004/5, 4:48 mins
(see video)
A. Jacob Galle – Bowdoinham Maine
17 Days Video Series 