fifty-two card pick-up

"52 Card Pickup" reimagines a classic childhood prank through the lens of materiality and impossibility. This mixed-media installation combines silkscreen printing on bathroom tiles with video to create a playful yet challenging interpretation of the game.

By replacing traditional playing cards with ceramic tiles, I've transformed a fleeting moment of chaos into a weighty, permanent state. The 52 silkscreened tiles scattered across the floor echo the game's typical disarray, but their heft and fragility make the act of "picking up" not just tedious, but potentially destructive.

The accompanying video element captures the moment of scattering, freezing in time the transition from order to disorder. This juxtaposition of static tiles and dynamic video creates a tension between permanence and transience, inviting viewers to contemplate the nature of games, rules, and the physical world.

"52 Card Pickup" speaks to themes of childhood, memory, and the often arbitrary nature of social interactions. It questions our relationship with objects and the games we play, both literally and metaphorically. By making the familiar unfamiliar, this piece challenges viewers to reconsider their assumptions about play, order, and the everyday materials that surround us.