embroidered linen on upholstered chair, 2008, 32” x 32” x 48”
This chair maps author William Faulkner’s beloved homestead, Rowan Oak, in Oxford, Mississippi. The pilgrimage to Rowan Oak is a time honored one for readers of Faulkner. I wanted to craft a three-dimensional expression of how you experience the site by moving through a thicket of coleus in the foreground of the property, into the Celtic maze, and then into the iconic allée of crepe myrtles in front of the house. The device of the map is of particular importance to Faulkner as he often drew a map to chart the development of his stories. He actually very much crafted his home as a superior form of procrastination from the work of writing.
Photos by Jennifer Hudson and Caleb Crawford
