Vernal Pond 545 from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
Simulation 1: Leopard Frog/Cabinet from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
Simulation 3: Chorus Frog/ Comb from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
Simulation 4: Leopard Frog/ Balloons from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
Simulation 5: Green Frog/ Rubber Bands from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
Light Air Movement from Jacklyn Brickman on Vimeo.
The complexities of how we inhabit and engage with the earth and the entities we share it with are at the core of my work - systems within systems.
In the shortest month of the year, while Wood Frogs were still frozen in their winter slumber, my family began training as volunteer frog and toad surveyors for the Friends of the Rouge. Using the provided compact disc, we familiarized ourselves with native calls. To aid in memorization were examples of synthetic sounds made by human action and everyday objects. Over the past year, frogs and toads have become a vessel for my perpetual interest in the simulation of nature. This exploration has manifested throughout my work: sculpture, installation, video and sound. My materials and habits tend toward everyday objects, multiples, and layers. Because of my foundation in photography, my thought and work processes are profoundly influenced by darkroom procedures and photographic equipment. Sculptures are hand held devices for viewers to peer into. Installations portray a sense of place like light reflections of mirrored mylar to emulate water and simulations of frog call choruses that require viewer interaction. Videos are composed of multiple layers of my repeating hand movements with objects and the resulting sounds that ultimately create my own chorus.
Amphibians are sensitive indicators of habitat quality and their presence or absence can be used to assess wetland health. (1) The irony of using man-made materials whose industry may in part be responsible for the demise of our wetland ecosystems is enthralling. This translates to a much broader theme: we are endlessly learning about respecting and caring for nature while simultaneously augmenting the problem. My work examines and records my own efforts and hindrances in maintaining a relationship with our environment while encouraging a viewer to engage and form their own relationships with the work and ideas presented.
