Through: The Fold, The Shatter

Due to the process-based nature of the Session program, this project will undergo constant modifications; the features of this page provide accruing information on the project’s developments.

Through: The Fold, The Shatter continues Charisse Pearlina Weston’s twofold material investigations into the ways in which glass––as architectural and surveillance material––creates encounters of perceived visibility, intimacy, and power. Focusing on tactics developed from “Broken Windows Theory,” Weston’s project examines intimacy, the built environment, and anti-Black protocols of movement and sight/seeing.

A phrase developed by social scientists James Wilson and George Kelling in the early 80s, Broken Windows Theory argues that “One unrepaired broken window is a signal that no one cares, and so breaking more windows costs nothing.” In other words, in neighborhoods where there are visible signs of decay and disorder, more decay and disorder can be expected in the future. The detrimental effects of this theory of this can be seen in both sanctioned and unsanctioned stop-and-frisk policies in areas experiencing urban decay, along with pervasive narratives of criminality that haunt BIPOC.

Meditating on the way that broken windows, in Broken Windows Theory, comes to symbolize breach and invasion, Weston will create a series of hand-folded glass sculptures, etched with fragments of writing by the artist. The work’s central element will feature a balanced glass installation.

Session invites artists to use Recess’s public platform to combine productive studio space with dynamic exhibition opportunities. Sessions remain open to the public from the first day of the artist’s project through the last, encouraging sustained dialogue between artists and audiences. Due to the process-based nature of Session, projects undergo constant revision and the above proposal is subject to change.