An exhibition of the work of Mark Rooker
at James Madison University's New Image Gallery.

 

The pieces in my "Origin of a Species" series were designed around creating stories within the objects, and encouraging wearers and viewers to become participants in extending the stories beyond the objects.

Art jewelry spends a great deal of time off the body. Indeed, a major puropse of these objects is gallery display, so I have been experimenting for several years with ways to give my narrative jewelry objects a rich narrative and aesthetic life when they are not being worn.

To this end, "The Pulp from My Head" is an exploration of how installation can be used to give a unified context to otherwise separate pieces, extend the story, and enrich the viewer's experience of the work.