Lousiana State Museum - Baton Rouge660 N. 4th St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Ph.: (225) 342-5428
July 13 - October 13, 2007
Floodwall - An installation by Jana Napoli
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[graphic from Lousiana State Museum Web site]
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Lousiana State Museum - Baton Rouge
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Not finding quite enough information on this project on the Louisiana State Museum Web site, I did a bit of online research and found artist Jana Napoli's web log.
The text below is from a January 15, 2006 post:
"As families returned to assess the damage to their homes and neighborhoods, one of the first signs of life was the appearance of a heap of trash at curbside.
The 600 drawers incorporated in Napoli's installation were collected from all across New Orleans -- in Gentilly, in Central City, Uptown and in the East, in Bywater, Carrollton, the French Quarter, the Ninth Ward Lakeview and Mid-City. Graphic artist Rondell Crier will collaborat with Napoli to create a digital database documenting where the drawers are from and any information about the families who discarded them. The drawers are categorized by size and color, their knobs or the lack of them, their age, whether hand-made or mass-produced. This digital database will be presented via an interactive computer kiosk near the memorial wall. Both installations evoke and comment on the differences that divide and unite us. They also underscore that our lives are more than just our thoughts and physical embodiment. Our lives are our neighborhoods, our family, our friends, our neighbors, our workplace, our schools, our communities, our animals, our gardens, our personal property, and even our furniture drawers, the place where we store our secrets, our past lives, our photos, our mementos, our passions and our hopes and dreams.
EXHIBITIONS:
Wall of Drawers
“Floodwall” is a 8ft x 120ft flat surface covered with over 600 empty drawers, collected from the New Orleans flood debris, appearing as if they were all being pulled open. The drawers range in size from 42 x 16 x 10 inches to 7 x 8 x 4 inches, with different faces, many of which are made of real wood and paper with carved and decorative fronts, spanning three centuries. Artist Jana Napoli spent her morning hours each day for two months collecting all 600+ drawers. Each drawer was marked, on the back, with the physical address of where it was retrieved.
Interactive Digital Database
Each collected drawer was numbered & will be photographed, and cataloged to create an interactive database, which will be presented along with the floodwall. This database will allow users to access information about the drawers, where they come from, size and color, and other collected information. The users will also have the opportunity to share and enter their thoughts and comments about the drawers, which will become part of an ongoing online data about the collection.
Here's a link to the official Floodwall website: Floodwall.org
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