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Camilla Carper's thesis, Inside Out Closet, flipped a closet to reveal clothing on the outside and to compress everything else in the universe into a closet's interior space. The sculpture houses Carper's past and present dressing projects, a hamper/compost bin holding an ex’s laundry, intimate childhood objects, human and doll-sized bricks cast with dried compost, and a film compiled archival footage from Jeff Rehg’s performances at the Sea Ranch Collective from 1997-2001 all sourced from VHS tapes found in Terri Rehg's closet.
Jeff Rehg, Carper’s uncle, was a dancer and educator, who worked closely with the choreographer Anna Halprin, while living with HIV. His movement practice made space for sensations of grief and the interconnections between life and death. In this installation, the audio and visuals of Jeff’s performance have been split. The visuals are projected out of the structure onto an adjacent wall. The audio is localized to the structure's interior.
Inside Out Closet is not about coming out. It's a moving into. A view of the depth that is already present. The inverse of life is not death but a wholeness of both. This structure contains a nesting of systems, a self-portrait of many, folding into infinite potential. As you enter, try to get away from yourself and into another. Hiding in a store's round rack of clothing, a womb, a wall of sound, a space to listen, a story about queer love and loss.
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Camilla Carper: Sculpture MFA '23
Open Studios 2021 viewing_room
