Julie Benda’s site specific and participatory installation, On a String, is on display at the Library Gallery on MCAD’s main campus, running March 25- April 18.  The installation consists of 100 paper garlands cut from hand-printed papers she made in the studio.

The garlands, which Benda calls “heartstrings”, investigate the intentions and rituals used to brace or sustain one’s heart. Created to uplift and harmonize the environment around, Benda chose colors, shapes and whimsical designs that remind her of a place she holds dear to her heart, transforming the corner of the Library into a colorful active space of lightness and play.

The show, which also provides materials and a workspace, invites the viewer to participate by creating their own heartstring to hang it for someone else. Benda asks that each person who participates to photograph their strings and share it with her, as she presents the accumulating documentation as part of the show. 

For more of Julie’s work:

https://jreneebenda.wordpress.com/