Rock Shop is an experiment (and mobile installation) I explored while in the storefront residency space at Mana Contemporary that continues threads in my work visualizing human impact on earth systems and human economy and what happens when earth objects become anthropological ones using the quotidian format of American roadside rock shops. This pseudo rock shop delves into the crassness of late capitalism and anthropogenic objects, the strangeness of talismans and the desire for uniqueness pitted against fast delivery. Garish concrete casts of real rocks and fossils I made and painted were for sale by weight in the souvenir district of downtown Miami, in a ghost mall. The rock knock-offs run parallel to systems of fast-fashion or commercial spiritualism, but are also self-aware, redundant objects that require mining, extraction and labor made to mimic earth’s raw materials, yet retain none of their value. The project continues on as a pop-up project at venues such as Rob Pruitt's Flea Market at NSU Museum, and an office Cold-War rock shop in conjunction with Fractured Landscapes at Hollywood Arts and Culture Center.
Rock Shop storefront view.
Rock Shop, photo courtesy of Elle Schorr
invitation to the first pop-rocktails u pick event
URANIUM! neon sign, 4 x 48", 2019
Rock Shop on the road at Rob Pruitt's flea market, 2020
Moon Rocks tm
Radium Radiants
