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The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Park, Back Alley, Supermarket)

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The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Park, Back Alley, Supermarket)
Image Not Available for The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Park, Back Alley, Supermarket)

The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Park, Back Alley, Supermarket)

Artist (British American, born 1977)
Date2013
MediumSingle-channel video
DimensionsDuration: 4 minutes, 35 seconds
ClassificationsTime-Based Media
Credit LineCrystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2021.36
Accession number 2021.36
Description3 films: The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Park), 1:43 min; The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Back Alley), 1:53 min; The Distance I Can Be From My Son (Supermarket), :52 min
On View
Not on view
Provenancepurchased by GAE LLC, Bentonville, AR, 2014 (in conjunction with the 2014 Crystal Bridges exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now); transferred to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, 2021
Label TextAfter childbirth, Lenka Clayton noticed that artist residencies with support for families were limited. In response, she founded An Artist Residency in Motherhood to explore the “upheaval that parenthood brings and allow it to shape the direction of my work, rather than try to work despite it.”

During this project, Clayton created a series of videos documenting the physical distance she could be from her son while he explored his surroundings. When her son moves beyond the frame, Clayton flflashes across the screen to reunite with him. Capturing the threshold between comfort and concern, she explores the diffifficult decisions parents make when nurturing children’s autonomy.

Tras dar a luz, Lenka Clayton se dio cuenta que las residencias artísticas con apoyo a las familias eran limitadas. En respuesta a esto, fundó una residencia artística en la maternidad para explorar “la agitación que conlleva la paternidad y permitirle que moldee la dirección de mi trabajo, en lugar de intentar trabajar a pesar de ella”.

Durante este proyecto, Clayton creó una serie de videos que documentaban la distancia física a la que podía estar de su hijo mientras él exploraba su entorno. Cuando su hijo se aleja del encuadre, Clayton atraviesa la pantalla para reunirse con él. Capturando el umbral entre la comodidad y la preocupación, explora las difíciles decisiones que toman los padres cuando fomentan la autonomía de sus hijos.