Friedland’s installation project Practice consists of a large textile fragment, as well as a set of smaller fragments, that are meant to be picked up, inspected, read, and moved around. The smaller fragments are a visual response to information Friedland collected over eight months from friends and family. The main thrust of the request for information was to find out what serves as a central theme in people’s lives, in the way that spiritual practice does for many, including the artist. The fundamental idea for this work came from questions that arose in the practice of Zen Buddhism: for example, what role do “concepts” play in the structure that people use to navigate their everyday life? Practice seeks out the simplicity underlying the conceptual structure presented in each individual’s quotations.

Techniques: Machine assembled, machine quilted
Culture: American
Geographic Location: North America
Credit Line: Gift of the Artist